Queen of Hearts, Redeux
by the-lionness
Summary: One of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, trapping Beast Boy and Raven with the Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape? And what happens when they get closer? bbxrae Before Trouble in Tokyo and The End.
1. Prologue

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

**Q: Has anyone ever noticed that you never really see the any police officers or the whole police department in an episode of Teen Titans?**

**Prologue **

It was an explosion that could be heard for blocks as the glass doors of Jump City's First National Bank shattered and a torrent of smoke billowed out. As the smoke and burnt dollar bills rolled unto the street and the sound of the bank's alarm system blared with the car alarms, a figure stepped over broken glass, gripping the silk top hat on his head and the burlap sack on his back. He moved quickly, trying to find a getaway before the smoke fully dissipated and he was caught under the glare of downtown's neon lights, billboards, and Jump City's Police Department that was soon to arrive. His feet crunched the glass shards underfoot as he ran for a manhole visible in the midst of the smoke.

However, there was already someone standing over it. The figure came face-to-face with a grim-faced teenager and a slender female with glowing green hands.

"Where you going, Mumbo?" the teen asked, crouching his muscular, but lanky body into a fighting stance and balling his fist.

"Why Robin, I was simply leaving with the contents of my saving accounts," He grinned sheepishly as Robin's eyes narrowed menacingly.

"I thought you were still in Jump City Penitentiary?" His eyes hidden underneath his mask were dangerous slits.

"Well…you know…I would've stayed but it's a tough crowd up there. I put my best foot forward, told a couple 'o jokes, and nothing."

"I think you need to stick with your magic tricks; you're not cut out for comedy. " At this, Mumbo stepped back, avoiding Robin's fist and a volley of green light. He sidestepped as Robin's gloved hand came down again.

"Everyone's a critic. But still, sound advice. That's why you should consider _this _my opening act!" Mumbo's gloved hand took off his hat and aimed it at Robin and Starfire. A deck of playing cards spat out at the two from the hole, knocking them to the ground. As Mumbo tried to escape, he heard a thundering pair of footsteps come behind him. His head swiveled and he saw Cyborg's large silhouette past his bulbous blue nose. His arm was quickly changing into its Sonic Cannon and his teeth were clenched. Mumbo again aimed his hat and from its depths came a large white rabbit that slammed Cyborg's body to the ground. His footsteps clacked down the street.

"Titans, don't let Mumbo get away!" Robin yelled loudly, flicking away the playing cards that fell on him. Spades, Diamonds all fell until the last, the Queen of Hearts, was left. His masked eyes never paid attention to the unusual card and its smirking queen surrounded by gold-etched locks, cups, sword, and rabbit.

He ran after Mumbo and came with a roundhouse kick that the magician simply dodged and countered with a whack of his burlap sack, sending Robin to the ground. Mumbo did not spare his advantage; he turned and began running, Starfire close behind.

Robin slowly picked himself from off the ground. "Where are Beast Boy and Raven?"

"Fighting, what else?" Cyborg yelled from his position on the back of the giant rabbit. The animal kicked its legs back and smashed the front of a corporate building. The sound of fallen debris and Cybrog's yells echoed throughout the street. A few streetlights toppled over and fell unto the street; their snakelike cords sparkling along the black tar.

"Again?" He grunted. Robin's gelled head swiveled around for the missing fighters and was met with only the artificial haze of the city and the growing wail of the police sirens. This was the tenth time the two were off butting heads somewhere—"flirting" as Cyborg called it—instead of helping to fight. And these fights were getting serious every time he turned around.

He grabbed his communicator off his utility belt and pressed the button. "Beast Boy, Raven, where are you?! We need you two to help catch Mumbo!" He was answered with static, but saw some of the cards swirl in an invisible gust of wind. As they went down the block, they joined a car shrouded in violet light. "At least _someone's_ there," Robin said under his breath.

He didn't notice the mysterious playing card rise on its own and join with the other cards as they made their way to their invisible caller.

--

Mumbo made his way down the street with his sack, avoiding another series of attacks from Starfire and debris only to stop as a large truck suddenly came crashing down in front of him. Hovering in front of him was a hooded female figure with glowing eyes and slender, poised arms raised over her head. His face twisted into a smile. "Ah, you've arrived for the beginning of my main act, Raven. Care to be my lovely assistant?"

"I'll pass," Raven's arms raised higher. A mailbox unhinged from its spot on the sidewalk and slammed into Mumbo, knocking the bag out of his hand. "I could skip another one of your nickel-and-dime organ grinder tricks."

Mumbo frowned at the comment. Money was scattered along the street with letters and cards. He took his hat and aimed at her, watching as a chain of knotted silk handkerchiefs snaked out and wrapped around Raven and slammed her to the ground.

He put his thumb into his mouth and blew. Raven's purple eyes widened as his foot ballooned. It grew until it was large enough to hover over her body. "Does _this_ look like another one of my 'nickel-and-dime organ tricks' to _you_? Or is it too lowbrow for your 'Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,' mantras?" He lifted his enlarged foot and brought it down, but as he neared her body, it stopped in midair and he was flipped over. He cursed under his breath as he spied a green gorilla out the corner of his eye.

Beast Boy reverted back to his human state and freed Raven from her bonds. As the silk handkerchiefs fell to the ground, Beast Boy looked over her with worried eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied in a clipped voice, trying to steady herself. She felt strong arms, Beast Boy's arms, find their way across her shoulders and back and hold her steady.

"Are you sure?" He gave Raven a quick once-over. He pulled back her purple hood and brushed away strands of her hair. Raven firmly planted her feet on the ground and pushed Beast Boy away, blushing slightly.

"I said I'm _fine_." She rubbed her temples and took deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. "I need to stop him." She raised her arms again and glanced at the green superhero. "Why don't you do something easy like collect the money?"

The teen looked taken aback insulted at the idea. He looked at the burnt green pieces of now worthless paper around him, and then up at Mumbo running for the next pothole.

Beast Boy turned from Raven, sneering, and crouched down for a moment before breaking into a run after the magician. As he raced around the truck, his body began changing into a cheetah for effect. The skin of his fingers melded together and his hands turned into paws and green fur. The change continued throughout his body ending with a long, spotted tail.

He raced down the street, his spine flexing with the effort. He came closer and closer to Mumbo, almost there, when a sudden metal door made of antimatter rose from the street.

Mumbo dodged the oncoming wall; Beast Boy slammed into the door face first and shifted his body to his human state. "Ow!"

"Beast Boy, what do you think you're doing?! I told you to stay out of my way! I can catch Mumbo myself!" Raven yelled, dispelling the door illusion.

"You said I should collect the money like I'm a _dog_ or something!" He snapped back, barely watching as a card hovered in the air. Floating long after the others had fallen down, it glowed curiously, the only witness of the conflict.

"I can catch him, too." Beast Boy yelled. "Just because you're a sorceress with _mystical powers_ doesn't mean you're the only one who can stop him."

"Raven, Beast Boy! Right now, _no one_ is stopping Mumbo! And he's getting away!" Cyborg yelled, interrupting their spat. He jumped off the now subdued rabbit and chased after Mumbo down the street Sonic Cannon in tow; stranded cars along the street shook with every heavy step he took. Starfire came behind him, backing up their two-man formation. "Can't you save the flirting for later?"

As Cyborg chased after Mumbo, the two Titans started to follow suite and follow him down the street. Suddenly, the golden-etched card flitted in front of their faces and grew in size until it was the height of a door. The image of its queen slid away from the frame and the card came to life in response.

The sword fell from its corner in one fell swoop and cut the corner of the card open, a strange white light materializing from the cut corner.

A rabbit ran across the bottom of the card disappearing into the white light. Its pursuer, a porcelain cup rolled down the same path before shattering in a million pieces. They watched as the card began to peel off, the light growing stronger.

Beast Boy pulled back in a panic, grabbing Raven's hand and racing away from the phenomenon. But as a lock fell from the top of the card to the bottom, the card peeled away completely and engulfed the two in a bright, white light.

"Raven! Beast Boy get away from there!" Robin yelled. But it was too late.

Hands snaked out, grabbed their limbs, and pulled them to the blinding light much to the horror of their friends' faces. Beast Boy and Raven watched as the night of Jump City faded away and they sank into the dazzling light. The light quickly imploded and with a _pop!_ the card reappeared and fell to the ground, gleaming mischievously.

And then there was nothing at all…

_A/N: I was looking through the stories I've written in the past and came across this particular fanfiction. And even though I was really happy about the reviews I had gotten at the time, when I read the story, I kept noticing all these…gaps that were there. And so, I want to try and write the story again, to see if I could approach it more thoroughly. It's always nice to see how you've changed and progressed as a writer. So if you choose to read this, I'm appreciative. Thank you._

_I tried to expand on the chapter itself by focusing the scene. I wanted to mention Jump City at night and the street they would be fighting. I also tried to include sounds that you would hear if they were really fighting: a bank alarm, Cyborg's footsteps. And I tried to personify the card itself since it's just as important as the prologue itself. I'm only mad because I didn't really focus on a true fight. Oh well—plenty of opportunities exist. I hoped you enjoyed reading it like I enjoyed writing it._


	2. The Queen's Challenge

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Terminology_

_Polonaise:_ _a woman's dress of the 18th century, having a fitted bodice and draped cutaway skirt, worn over an elaborate underskirt_ (source: Wikipedia)

Translation(s):

(1) "Ah, curious and curious(er)! I was hoping you would ask that question!"

(2) "I am so very happy to have visitors! It must have been a very long fall I expect!"

(source: Babelfish)

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**The Queen's Challenge**

Beast Boy's liquid green eyes opened to the glare of harsh sunlight and the feel of the springy ground underneathhim. He let out a low, guttural moan and rolled over, trying to escape the sun and the blades of grass tickling his nose. But as he settled into a sleeping position, his eyes snapped wide open.

He was expecting the glowing neon lights, discarded dollar bills, and the other overpowering smells and sounds of downtown Jump City. Instead, he was met with the buzz of a bumblebee lazily fluttering away from a large sunflower. His looked around him in a groggy panic. "AHH! WHAT'S GOING ON?" He rubbed his temples in attempt to stay calm. He racked his memory for clues.

_I remember chasing after Mumbo down the street. And then there was that strange card…and those arms that grabbed me and—_"Raven!" Beast Boy especially remembered reaching for her hand and turning away before they were pulled down. He looked above the clusters of tiger lilies, buttercups, and other numerous flowers in a disorientated search. Standing to his feet, he parted and pushed away the grass hoping to see Raven's purple hood or her slender, gray hand shifting through grass or hear her voice calling him.

"Raven!" He hopped over some daisies before noticing a slight depression in the grass. Beast Boy unconsciously veered himself in that direction, spying the contour of a body lying on the ground. There, immersed among a large grouping of baby's breath was what he believed to be a sleeping Raven.

"Raven?" Beast Boy knelt down and brushed her arm gently. She groaned irritably in reply; he was positive it was her now. "Hey, Raven?" He watched as the girl turned over and opened her wide eyes before quickly shutting them from the sun. She bolted her body upright and wiped her eyes before opening them again.

"Ugh, what hit me?" She stared at the grass and the spattering of colorful flowers and then titled her head skyward. Endless fluffy white clouds sailed across a perfect blueberry-colored sky. A slight buzzing filled her ears and soft gust of wind played at the thick, green grass. Her violet eyes rested on Beast Boy's face.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut again. The last thing she remembered were those hands wrapping their fingers around her wrists, ankles, and cloak and dragging her away from the din of Jump City, her own hand still grasping Beast Boy's. As the nightlife faded away and bright light flooded her eyesight, she remembered things flying up as she fell down. A rope of pearls and blood-red roses passed her; a pot full of warm tea poured itself into a porcelain cup. Her fingers tried to grasp at the handle but watched with horror and panic as the tea spilled over and fell skyward.

Bricks, roof shingles, and windows followed. As a large picnic basket barreled past her, Raven had felt herself let go of Beast Boy and try to grab the basket with outstretched hands; anything to grab unto was better than nothing. Her lips had opened to scream, but she felt her body land in something soft and fragrant smells overpower her senses. Before she knew it, she had been lulled to sleep.

Now her eyes opened to a field of flowers and Beast Boy's outstretched hand offering her help to stand. She ignored the gesture and stood up by herself. Slightly disappointed, Beast Boy pulled back and looked northward, bringing his hands up to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. Raven did the same, but looked southward.

Butterflies floated gently without hindrance from a tree or a rock; the flowers shook off the last bits of morning dew from their petals and sprinkled them unto the ground. There wasn't a trail around for what looked like miles. The two looked at the infinite and endless field; the only sounds between them were those of crickets, bees, and the wind.

"Where are we?" Raven finally asked out loud looking at the endless land.

"Ah, curieux et plus curieux ! J'espérais que vous poseriez cette question!" (1) An unfamiliar feminine voice answered her. Green and purple squinted eyes looked over at a figure that suddenly appeared among the field of flowers.

Beast Boy and Raven walked over to the silhouette as it took on the shape of a tall woman holding a young Labrador puppy. Her red-painted lips gave a demure, seductive smile as they stood before her. "Je suis tellement très heureux d'avoir des visiteurs! Ce doit avoir été une chute très longue que je prévois!" (2)

They exchanged looks at the outpour of French. "Um…what?" Beast Boy finally asked. She blinked before clearing her throat.

"I was welcoming you. I'm sorry about that. I forgot myself for a moment." Her mouth curved into a shy smile.

_Who is she?_ Raven stared at the movement of her white dress in the wind.

"I'm the Queen of Heart and this is my domain—my card." Their eyes traveled to the top of her head where in between a mass of pinned and powered curls lay a jewel-encrusted crown. The queen looked at them expectantly as the ruffles of her polonaise blew in the wind and snagged on the flowers and grass; with her powdered and lightly-rouged cheeks, she looked more like a fairy than a monarch.

_What kind of joke is this?_

"This isn't a joke at all. My card opened itself to you, and you fell down it. How can you blame _me_ when _you_ were the ones that caught my attention?" Raven's eyes widened as the queen played with the puppy wriggling in her arms. Raven's mind came up with about a million more questions before suddenly stopping; she did not want the Queen of Hearts reading her mind again.

"I'm not reading your mind; however, you do think too loudly." The queen kissed her puppy nonchalantly.

Beast Boy looked on between the two as the queen talked to his silent companion, finally finding a perfect opportunity to come in. He cleared his throat. "Okay, so if we _are_ trapped in your card, how do we escape it and go back to our own world?"

"There is no escape. You're trapped—"

At these words, the two Titans moved in preparation for battle. Raven's hand raised and she began concentrating her energy into her hands watching as her fingertips started glowing white. Her hair blew in a wind of it own; beads of sweat were starting to form on her eyes. Her eyes focused on the Queen of Hearts and her mouth clenched tightly.

But something happened the moment she opened her full lips. "Aza—" Her voice caught in her throat, and she choked. It was as if a pair of hands had wrapped themselves around her throat. Her eyes began to water and she coughed violently; she knelt on her hands for support and wiped away the tears. The queen looked on with curiosity.

Beast Boy bared his teeth and crouched low. Nails grew from his fingers; his skeleton cracked as it changed shape. The queen looked on in fascination as Beast Boy grew hair and his mouth lengthened to that of a wolf's. But as soon as his body started its transformation, he groaned in pain and his body shifted back to his human state. His joints and bones were in fire with the painful effort. His body also sunk to the ground and he glanced at the queen staring at him with laughing, periwinkle eyes.

Giggles spilled from her lips and then chuckles and then full-blown laughter.

"Right! Challenging _me_ to a duel!" She laughed raucously. "If only you could've seen your faces, so cute and determined. And you," she pointed to Beast Boy, "I don't think I've seen _that_ before. That was a really interesting trick there. If only the plays or the circus were as interesting as you two." Her obnoxious laughter drowned out the panting breaths from Raven and Beast Boy before abruptly stopping and giving them a frozen, deadly look.

"As if that was going to work. I can understand why you would think that could help you against me, Beast Boy, Raven," they looked up at the use of their names, "but this is _my_ card. There is no way you could possibly win if you tried to fight me directly. Remember that. We have yet to establish if I'm your friend or enemy and so I'd be careful.

"You're _trapped_—for now. There is only one way you can leave: there is a door leading to your reality in my castle that can be opened with a single key. And that single key is with me." She put a hand to her necklace. Clutched in her hand was a key lying on her apple-white skin. Both Beast Boy and Raven saw engravings of the same rabbit, tea cup, lock, and sword from the outside of the card as it gleamed tauntingly.

"However, before you can get the key, you'll have to accept the challenges of my ministers."

"Ministers?" Raven asked from her spot on the ground.

"Ministers. Of Trials, Police, Locks, and Militia. They are my most loyal and most powerful subjects. If you agree, they will test you. If you refuse, you can't escape. And there have been many who have refused my challenge and given up right where you stand."

The two of them looked around at the unending field in front around them. With tall grass stretching for miles without roads or other signs of life, they looked back at the Queen of Hearts and the secretive gleam in her eye. They couldn't fight her and without her, they could be stuck in the field for a long time. Violet and green eyes met as a bumblebee whizzed past them and the flowers blew with the gust of wind. There really was no escaping. "We accept."

"Good! There is a reason why you two in particular were brought into my card. There is something hidden and wonderful between you two. So let's begin the challenge." She reached inside her bodice and pulled out a watch.

"Each of my ministers has their own challenge for you. Whatever they wish for you to do, you will do it, or you can't move on to the next. I don't have any control over what they choose. And no two challenges will be alike.

"I'm assuming your abilities are your next question. Your powers, for the most part, are null; however, my power wanes twice everyday: twelve a.m. and twelve p.m. This lull only lasts for a minute." She held the watch up to the two Titans who watched as the hands—a sword and hilt—turned backwards until resting at nine a.m.

As she put the watch up, the queen looked at them with the same innocent childishness she had in the beginning. "Adieu, _cheris_! Good luck!" Grabbing a mass of her ruffled skirt, she and her puppy turned away, the queen running happily across the field, leaving Beast Boy and Raven behind.

_A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews and for putting my fanfic on Story Alert. It's nice to hear people's opinions. I just want to say that I love feedback and encourage constructive criticism—not flaming. Trust me, there's a difference. If you don't like the story, you don't have to comment; just stop reading. But if you feel you have to, give me a private message please. _

_So, I'm excited to get started on the first chapter for "Queen of Hearts, Redux." It was a struggle, especially since I wanted to use humor and all of that. I think I've come up with wit instead. There will be stronger hints of bbxrae in the next chapter. Throughout this story, I am trying to work on being descriptive in my writing without being "tell-y." And so, in doing that, I'm especially happy with my description of the field, of Beast Boy and Raven waking up from their sleep, and my introduction of the Queen of Hearts. I've based her particular style off of_ Marie Antoinette (2006)_.I saw that movie the other day, and thought it was awesome! _

_Anyway, this is getting too long! Thanks for reading!_


	3. Cottontail and the Petit Trianon

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Terminology_

_Petit Trianon: __a small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel by the order of Louis XV for his long-term mistress, Madame de Pompadour, and was constructed between 1762-1768. Upon his accession to the throne in 1774, the 20-year-old Louis XVI gave the château and its surrounding park to the 19-year-old Queen Marie Antoinette for her exclusive use__and enjoyment._

_Bindi: __is a forehead decoration worn in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Traditionally it is a dot of red color applied in the center of the forehead close to the eyebrows, but it can also consist of a sign or piece of jewelry worn at this location._

_Okobo-geta: __carefully hand-crafted sandals made for real maiko and geisha. _

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Cottontail and Petit Trianon**

They now expected one of two things to happen: 1) an eccentric figure in a powdered wig and frock to walk up, slap them with their gloves, and challenge them to a duel with swords, or 2) a house to suddenly fall from the sky.

That's why they never expected the field to give way underneath them.

The feeling of the world shifting underfoot lasted for only a few seconds before coming to an abrupt stop. Beast Boy cautiously opened an eye to find the flowers gone and tall hedges and brick walls in their place. "Whoa." He whispered. "Hey, Raven." Beast Boy looked over only to raise a worried eyebrow.

Raven was taking in quick, tight breaths and rubbing her temples. Sweat formed on her brow and her body shook involuntarily; she seemed to be mouthing words. "Raven? What's wrong?" Beast Boy's hands impulsively rubbed her shoulders. "Are you okay?" He had never seen anyone—let alone Raven—have a panic attack before, but he was sure that that was what he was seeing now.

Raven silently nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm every shard of her mind quarreling inside her. _Are you okay? You almost slipped…You need to pull yourself together._ As warm hands unknowingly soothed her quivering body, she was almost happy her powers were gone; in the darkest corner of her mind, she could imagine them slipping from her sixteen-year-old grasp and overtaking everything around her. _Beast Boy_…as the thought of death crossed her mind, she realized she didn't want him to be the first victim of her poisonous touch.

"Beast Boy," Raven shrugged out of his touch and opened her eyes. "What are you wearing?!"

"What are _you_ wearing?!" Beast Boy answered with the same surprise.

Raven looked down. She was clothed—thank goodness—but where she usually saw her familiar outfit, she saw something horrifying. "_Why am I wearing a dress!?!_" She stared at the blue baby doll dress and sheer white leggings. Her hands tried to run through her hair before realizing it had been curled and set with a hairband. They instead settled on her chest and tried to cover the skin the low-cut front was exposing. Color rose to her cheeks.

"I don't know, Rae—" Beast Boy looked up from examining his own seersucker suit and purple Chuck Taylors, staring at her blushing face. His hand patted his combed and slicked hair and he gave a half-smile. "I think this color's good on you." His finger brushed her forehead where her bindi dot had disappeared. He buttoned the black jacket, obscuring the image of his graphic-tee underneath.

Her blush crept from ear-to-ear.

Was he _flirting_ with her?

"Where are we?" She asked now, staring at the clearing and the brick walls and hedges looming overhead and noticing a curious gold plaque gleaming the words, "Petit Trianon: The Royal Grounds of Her Highness, The Queen of Hearts" in the sun. Beside the wall ran a brick walkway that forked off into two different paths. Though hesitant to go down either path, it was like when they were in the field of flowers: they didn't know where they were, and they couldn't go anywhere else. Raven felt like she could feel everything staring at them, like the grounds were waiting for their next move.

Beast Boy's finger's gently rubbed Raven's bare arm and snapped her out of her trance. "Left? Or Right?" His lingering touch sent a mirage of terrible and beautiful images in Raven's mind. Her prolonged embarrassment ended as she shifted away from him.

"Left." Her wedged heels clomped on the bricks as she headed down the path.

--

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Raven now asked suspiciously. Their path had been a confusing one so far: since they had first gotten on the path, they had been getting lost and going in endless circles. It didn't help that the brick walls and hedges were continuously popping up at random times, as if someone was putting them there on purpose. After what felt like an hour of walking, they finally decided to take a break settling along the path and staring at the looming hedges and brick walls above them. He had tried to make sure she hadn't seen him blatantly looking at her, but it was now obvious that Beast Boy had been doing a bad job of it.

The changeling blinked confusedly before answering. How could he explain his reason behind tapping her forehead or reaching for her hand? He couldn't explain it himself, and now wished they were still walking—at least they would've been too distracted for her to ask. "You um, just look really…_really_ nice. I mean, y-y-you always look nice…but you usually don't wear clothes like that and it just looks real…different—but in a good way?" Beast Boy pushed back a side bang covering her eye.

Color came to the roots of her scalp and she felt goosebumps on her skin. But despite her reaction between pleasure and embarrassment, she pulled back, creating a distance between them. "Beast Boy…you've been touching me for awhile and even though I can't tell you why…I don't want you to touch me." She fumbled with her fingers; she realized that she didn't really want to see Beast Boy's shocked face.

"Oh. Um, okay." They settled into a thick, unavoidable silence. He kept his eyes glued to the ground and stared at the cobblestones. He kept his eyes there along the winding and endless path until something made him stop. "Huh?" He stood and began to follow a path branching from the main walkway. He only went a few feet before a hedge abruptly ended the path. Instead of sitting back down, he walked over to the second path; that path was made up of nothing but zigzags. Going back to his original spot and he ignored Raven's glances and looked at the ground until his ear perked with realization. He finally looked into Raven's confused purple eyes. "The Petit Trianon is just like a maze." He whispered.

Like the revelation of a secret word, there was another loud noise and the grounds started to move around them, tearing themselves down brick-by-brick and root and replacing themselves in a new space. As a particularly large hedge moved in their path, Beast Boy moved back, brushing Raven's shoulder with his hand. All of a sudden, a jolt of electricity went up his arm, stopping at his elbow and making him fall to his knees. His whole forearm felt numb; he could hear Raven's audible gasp. The accusing stare he gave made the girl look on in horror.

_Was that really _me_?_ She wanted to move towards him but a figure standing at the entrance of a newly-resurrected gate stopped her.

The figure, a girl, stared at the scene with inquisitive almond-shaped eyes without speaking a word or changing her curious expression. At first glance, Raven saw there was something childlike about her: the yellow, star-patterned dress she wore; the stickers on her cheek; the two buns atop her head. But as she continued to silently watch them, Raven felt there was something amiss about the stranger. Something that she should be afraid of…that made her different than them, but more like, say, the queen. Her Japanese skin glowed in the bright sun and her pouty, glossy lips turned upwards into a smile. Raven found herself on guard before she realized it.

She heard Beast Boy stand up on steady legs, cradling his injured arms and gingerly moving fingers. She guessed that he was probably better, but not yet healed. His mouth was set in a grim expression; he too must've felt something coming from the stranger. "Who are you?" He asked. The girl shrugged her shoulders playfully feigning ignorance, but Beast Boy noticed something coming out of the sky. Reaching out, he held a gold playing card in his numb hand.

_-This is Cottontail, the Minister of Paths, and the caretaker of my royal grounds, the Petit Trianon. She is in control of all the trails in the card. She offers her challenge: a game of Tag. In exchange for your obvious participation, she offers you a way—albeit, the only way—out of the maze. This is, of course, will be given should you win the game. _

_-Do you accept?_

_Q.O.H._

The Minister of Trails waited expectantly for their answer, practically bouncing in childlike anticipation. Raven noted the tall, yellow-strapped okobo-geta on her tiny feet and watched with wonder as the minister continued to dance. She swished and the empath noticed a bunny tail at the back of her dress. "Is that tail even real?" She groused aloud. Blinking, Cottontail turned on her heel and bent over, pulling up the short hem of her dress exposing her backside. With a tug at her panties, she revealed that the tail was somehow, real. She grinned at Raven's and Beast Boy's blushing faces.

Raven saw Beast Boy drop his forearm. He stepped away from her and closer to the minister. "We accept." Cottontail gave a wide smile and turned, running down the path and looking back as they followed.

-

Cottontail was a fast runner, despite the bulky shoes on her feet. From the moment they started, the Minister had outran them, twisting and turning on whims and giggling at their efforts to keep up. The short walls and bushes blurred around them, the few other colors around them nothing more than streaks. It was obvious she was taunting them with the grinning smiles and winks she kept giving them. Her footsteps were soundless on the lawn. Raven almost thought there was something sinister about this entire game, but with the way she waited patiently for them to catch their breath, blew kisses behind her, and laughed gleefully, the game was just that—a game.

Meanwhile, they struggled to catch up to her. In spite what seemed like a dead weight on his side, Beast Boy was the closer of the two. At almost every turn, he was behind her, his jacket flying out behind him and his shoes trampling on the green grass. Raven meanwhile, lagged behind in her wedged heels. Unlike her teammate, she wasn't used to her footwear and running for so long. Her legs were on fire and her chest heaved tightly. Her subconscious was worried about the length of time it had been taking for them to try to catch the minister with no changes and the lack of signs of the game ending anytime soon.

She began to become suspicious about this game of Tag.

She finally stopped after a turn at a statue, gasping for breath. The footsteps lessened and she heard Beast Boy walk over to her, panting slightly. There was a sheen of sweat on his green skin and his shirt clung to his body. "What's wrong?" His body shadowed hers.

Her fingers pulled at the blades of grass underneath her palms. "She's too fast… Beast Boy, we've got…to make a plan." She gasped.

"I know. We could be at this all day if we don't. But you've got to catch your breath first." He began to reach for her, but a spark rose from her skin and into his hand. He fell back, looking at his hand's now tender skin. The feeling in his hand he had had was now gone, replaced by the familiar numbness. Somewhere, Raven heard the sound of mischievous, omniscient giggling. Beast Boy's eyes fell on her again like earlier.

"Beast Boy, that wasn't m—"

"Raven, we need to split up. You stay here and catch your breath; I'll go look for Cottontail." He left in a blur of black and purple. Raven stared at her hands in horror.

_I'm not supposed to have powers here! _She remembered well the queen's words. _So why do I keep hurting Beast Boy? Unless…_ she glanced at the lines etched on her skin and gulped. In her mind, it was her worst nightmares come true. That thing she feared above all other things.

She began to breathe deeply and wring her fingers as she succumbed to her panic attack. Her mouth made soundless words and she hugged herself. She tried and failed to end the anxiety walling up in her; it was like this attack was as worst as any other. The many personalities in her mind were already trying to comfort her with soothing words when she heard footsteps. Cottontail came running down the path with Beast Boy close behind. The minister's face was in unhindered glee; Beast Boy's focused on catching his target. At seeing the gray-skinned Titan on the grass, Cottontail smoothly veered to the left; Beast Boy collided into her. Electricity bit into his body and he fell on his back, writhing like a fish.

"_Argh!!!!_"

"Beast Boy…" Raven started.

He shuffled away from Raven and tried to compose himself. He spat up a wad of phlegm and looked at her angrily, straightforwardly. "Raven, don't _touch_ me!" He yelled. She gaped at the words. A brick wall behind her broke completely.

Cottontail stared at them, lifting up her slender arm and wriggling her fingers. Her dress blew in an isolated breeze and her tail wiggled gleefully. Like a magician preparing a magic trick, she snapped her fingers, grinning as the maze again changed around them.

_A/N: Well the third chapter is finally up. I'm so sorry. Since my last chapter, work + life + writer's block are all to blame. I was not initially happy with this chapter but I feel like this is growing on me. I like the humor when they discover their new clothes: Raven's is a revamp of __Alice in Wonderland__ (the "Why am I wearing a dress" line is from an actual episode); I got the idea for Beast Boy while reading an issue of __GQ__. And I love the Petit Trianon itself. I saw some pictures of the actual building online and it is quite pretty. But what I'm especially happy about is how I'm hinting at Raven's big secret. Ooooooooooo!! _ _Personally, I think this works for now. Raven's such a complex person that doing anything quick, easy, and early is a shame. So be prepared for more! R&R for me and see you in the next chapter!_


	4. The Funhouse of Mirrors

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Terminology_

_Livewire: a villain in the DC Universe. She first appeared in __Superman: the Animated Series__._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Q: If pink is the color of happiness for Raven, and red is the color for anger, then what color would love be?**

**The Fun House (of) Mirrors**

**-**_Welcome to the Petit Trianon's Fun House (of) Mirrors! It is a favourite of Cottontail's, but she rarely has the opportunity to use them—not a lot of people get inside of the Petit Trianon, you know. She must be having a lot of fun…or she may be very bored. Those are as good as any other reasons of course. The challenge and deal are the same: catch Cottontail and she will escort you out of the maze. Good luck, cheries!_

_Q.O.H._

Beast Boy looked up from the newly-fallen playing card and into the numerous mirrors surrounding him and Raven. Each smooth, reflective surface held Cottontail at a different angle, each image laughing and giggling behind her hand. She wiggled her toes in excitement and her dress flounced about her thighs. Each reflection stared at the Titans, as if waiting for them to get the game started again. Beast Boy stared at the images and made one decisive step. Without missing a beat, the Cottontails all turned and retreated into their mirrors. The chase was on again.

The changeling looked out the corner of his eye at Raven gripping her baby blue dress in fear. He wanted to crouch down and see if she was alright, but the image of Cottontail retreating and the memory of his last injury spurred him to follow behind the minister. "Raven, I'm gonna go catch Cottontail. Stay here, okay? Don't move!" Like the minister before him, Beast Boy's images faded one by one, his footsteps making soft treads in the grass.

Raven watched him go before rousing herself from her stupor. She ambled to her feet in the manner of a new born lamb and tried to follow Cottontail and Beast Boy, her face a pale, panic-stricken hue. She touched one of the mirrors and noticed the golden playing card on the ground. Somewhere, everywhere, she heard the sound of playful giggling. Instinctively, her footsteps moved in the direction of the sound, a walk growing into a quick jog.

_I have to help. I have to catch Cottontail! I have to get out of this card! _

The sound of Cottontail's laughter suddenly swelled and Raven was confronted with the image of the Japanese girl multiplying in front of her. Raven continued forward until she saw the minister on the path, laughing with wanton abandon. Beast Boy was nowhere to be found. But as suddenly as Cottontail caught Raven's blue eyes, she skidded to a stop and stood in front of the empath. In spite the tall okobo-geta on her feet, Raven still stood over Cottontail by a few inches.

That did not mean that she felt any taller.

Cottontail met Raven's gaze but instead of seeing the mirth that had graced her face since the game began, the look was serious, scrutinizing. In those black orbs lay fear, worry, and wonder directed towards her. The strange aura that she felt from earlier radiated from the petite girl, intermingling with the numerous stars on her dress. Raven felt something and her wide, fearful eyes danced wildly in their sockets. The childlike hand reached out for the slender teenager, but Raven fell back, pressing her back on a cool mirror. Cottontail sadly looked at her and began to walk around her, the wispy hair of her buns floating serenely in the wind. Before she began running again, the minister looked back with her slender eyes, their expression seeming to say, "Poor you," as if she knew everything.

Raven tried to move but instead of going forward, she felt her foot slip and her body falling back unto the mirror again. She half-expected the glass to give way underneath her and her body to crack the mirror, its jagged marks scratching her. Instead, cool air met her skin and she felt her body sink. Before she could stop herself, she saw the Petit Trianon retreating from her sight and her body falling down the square rabbit hole of the mirror.

-

She didn't know where she was, but there was a lot of giggling there. Even behind her closed eyelids, she could feel the laughter as surely as she felt her fingers and toes and the material of her dress. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. "Can you _please_ stop laughing?" She opened her eyes, half-expecting to see the Minister of Paths laughing at her with unceasing, silent chuckles. However, her purple eyes met with another familiar pair of wide, purple orbs.

"Sorry, sorry. I just never thought you'd ever be in a dress! It's kinda funny." Her own voice answered her.

"Happiness?" Raven sat up and stared at her doppelganger, clad in her pink cloak and shoes. "What are you doing here?" She stared harder. "_How_ did you get here? _Why are you here?_"

"Um." Happiness's played with an imaginary split end as she thought about the order of the questions. "Talking to you, I just appeared, and I'm not really sure."

"Am I in Nevermore?" She stared around her but could only see an infinite number of stars. There were no rocks around her nor wide-eyed crows with ominous messages; a cluster of stars glowed under the soles of her shoes and supported her.

Happiness gleefully, childishly shook her head.

"Then _where_ am I?"

"Does it really matter?" A new voice answered her. "I mean, you're not _there_ anymore. No one's making you do stuff you don't want to do anymore. And you're not hurting anyone, are you?" Raven looked around trying to find the source of this voice. She had been hearing in her mind for a while now, but to look upon this new emotion was something different altogether. From an obscure position at her left, she could see the tail of a cloak, but she couldn't make out the color. And no matter how she tried, she couldn't see that side of herself anymore.

"No… But what about Beast Boy? I can't just leave him—"

"Why not? Why would you want to be near him? Every time you touched him, he got electrocuted. He doesn't even want you to touch him. He left you left alone. You could kill him! You know that! Why would you want to do that?" The voice pleaded with her, its tone becoming a whine. But that didn't mean its words were any less powerful.

"No, no. I don't want to kill Beast Boy. I don't want to kill anybody!" Raven found her voice matching the emotion's. She hugged her body tightly to keep it from shaking and squeezed her eyes to block out the starry world around her.

"Then why can't you just stay here? It's the only safe place for us. Besides, aren't you happier?"

Raven looked over at her left and then where Happiness stood waving at her. The admittedly seldom-seen emotion was beaming at her. "I…guess so. I guess I am happier here."

"Okay," the voice sighed, "then let's stay."

-

Beast Boy could hear his heartbeat in his ears as she and Cottontail traveled down another walkway of mirrors. They had been going down this path for a long time but he wasn't going to stop for a second. They needed to get out of here, this stupid maze, funhouse mirror…_thing_. Or rather, Raven needed to get out of here.

Beast Boy wasn't stupid. He _knew_ Raven. He knew Raven's powers and he knew how much she tried to keep them in her control. From the numerous meditation sessions he interrupted throughout the day, he knew that she tried very _very_ hard to keep them all from running amuck within her body and psyche. And out of all the things he had witnessed from fighting alongside her, he knew she couldn't electrocute anybody. _Well_, he thought as he turned a corner,_ I hope she can't electrocute anybody. _The only explanation he could come up with came back to the card. As powerful and eccentric the queen was when they met, she had explained that her power was the most supreme in the card. Her exact words had been, _'__Your powers…are null.'_" So it couldn't be her. That only left the one other person they had met: Cottontail, the Minister of Trails. She was a minister and one of their challengers; that meant that she had enough power to challenge a pair of teenaged superheroes, make a maze made of bricks and branches into a funhouse, and manipulate Raven's powers.

_And if it is her, then all I need to do is catch her and the game is over, we get out of the Petit Trianon, and Raven isn't going all 'Livewire-meets-Superman' on me. _

Beast Boy could feel himself falling behind, but his thoughts and the sight of the minister's bunny tail spurred on an outburst of energy. She tried to trick him by making a quick turn but he followed behind, his arm flopping wildly. They kept going until they reached what looked like a dead end. Beast Boy gave a toothy grin as Cottontail whirled around. "Gotcha!" He lunged. But his prey dodged him by pressing against a mirror and hopping over him. She grinned widely. "Damn!" He could only make out an etching of a rabbit on her shoes as she happily sped away.

His energy was spent. He wanted to go after her, but he needed a break. Just because he could become any animal in any other situation and was a fast runner, didn't mean that he could keep going. He needed…to find Raven. But all he could do was sink to the ground and catch his breath. He leaned on the mirror and pressed his skin on the cool surface, imagining himself meeting up with his partner. His eyes blinked and he sighed grateful for the cool surface. But as he stared into the glass, he was met with a purple unfocused eye staring through him. "Raven?" He blinked again. The eye didn't fade away. He was sure that she wasn't on the other side of the mirror; she would've answered him or made a motion that she heard him. But she was still and lifeless. "Raven? Raven!!!" He was wide awake now.

Nothing.

The image of her didn't fade nor did she look over at him. It was like she was frozen. He pulled himself up and stared around. "She really _is_ trapped in there. But how? Aw man, how am I gonna get her outta there?" He put his green palm against the glass and pressed against it, thinking maybe he could smash it and she'd come out. Instead, he felt a coolness on his skin; his arm had gone through the glass. Part of him wanted to be surprised but he just kept going: his arm, his shoulder, his foot, his leg. Inch by inch, he forced himself into the mirror. As his numb fingertips passed through, he guided his feet into the trillions of stars.

-

It was pretty here in the stars. Everything was beautiful and quiet. She didn't have to worry about the noise of anyone. She didn't have to worry about anyone getting hurt by a villain or by her powers. If she felt worried about her predicament, she didn't think about it. There in the stars.

"Raven?" A deep voice called to her.

She looked up at her name.

"Raven? Raven!" She looked up to see a figure running toward her, footsteps making starry puddles in the dark. Beast Boy came to stop in front of her. "Raven, what are you doing here? Where _is_ 'here?'" He knelt down and stared at her. The sight of him, his green skin, his green eyes and hair, and seersucker suit, jarred her. She blinked and then glared at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am _I _doing here? Raven, what are _you_ doing here? We have to get out of here. Let's go back."

"No!" A voice echoed from the space. "We don't want to go back! Why would you want us to? We're happy here. Raven, tell him we're happy here!"

"Huh?" He looked over at an utterly confused Raven. The voice sounded like hers but it was more frantic, more worried. The one and only time he waltzed into Raven's mind, he encountered a wide range of Raven's emotions, but he never remembered this one. He felt like he was back in her head all over again, but instead of anger, this voice—this panicky, whiny voice—had taken over.

"Raven," he ignored the entity. "Let's go! Take my hand!" He held his out for her.

"No! We can't touch you. Didn't we make your arm numb? Didn't you tell us not to touch you?"

"Shut up! You may be a part of Raven, but you aren't her, so keep your opinions to yourself." He turned back. "Don't listen to her, Raven. I know…I know what, what I said. But it wasn't true: I want you to take my hand. Why wouldn't I want you to touch me?"

Raven, in that foreign dress, looked up at him. _Why wouldn't he want me to touch him? Because I can hurt him....because I _did_ hurt him._

"Well, yeah," came an entirely new and soothing voice in the shell of her ear, "that's true. But what about you? Don't you want to want to touch him?" Raven tried to find this new doppelganger but she couldn't see anyone.

_Who are you?_

"Not sure." The voice didn't echo against anything. It was so tiny, almost like it was at her shoulder.

_Then how do you know what I want?_

"_Because._" This voice obviously believed in the power of one-word explanations. "Didn't you turn red when he touched your forehead… Doesn't that mean you liked it? And that you want him to do it again? Touch you?"

_Maybe…but if I want someone to touch me, why would I choose Beast Boy? He's a clown. And a bad one at that—there isn't a funny bone in his body._

"That's true…but he is the one that calmed you down. And even though you're not admitting it to me, you _did_ reach out for him. And you kinda want him to touch you…so if you had to choose between him not holding your hand and not holding your hand, which do you want?"

_Right now, if I had to choose, I'd want_… Before she knew it, Raven's hand slipped into Beast Boy's green one. They stood up together and laced their fingers together. She blushed and looked down as they walked amongst the stars and out unto the maze. As they came up, they were surprised to see Cottontail running in front of them.

-

The minister couldn't have shown how surprised she was short of yelling or stuttering, but the two Titans were kind of pleased with the horrified look on her face. As her eyes switched back and forth and she retreated, a bell sounded, jarring her and making her eyes wider. She abruptly turned around and ran away.

"Do you think she knows something we don't?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yup. The time." Raven sarcastically answered and then paused. The queen's voice reached her ears, _'My power wanes twice everyday: twelve a.m. and twelve p.m.'_ "Wait! The time!" Raven counted off the sound before grinning widely. eleven…ten…nine… A rush of her familiar power ran through her body; her bindi dot wormed its way out her skin and placed itself in its familiar place. She looked over at Beast Boy and said three familiar words.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." The blackness her powers conjured washed over the two and unto the grass. She felt herself manipulate the dark mass over her body. Wings, a beak, eyes. If Cottontail was scared of a bell, Raven could only imagine what the sight of a Raven would do.

Its wings spread over the acres of the Petit Trianon's mirrors and took to the sky its luminescent eyes searched for its prey. In one swoop, the bird found its rabbit and rushed down smoothly, wrapping a talon around the minister, drowning out her starry dress.

three…two…one…

As the bell stopped and the raven melted away into a fading bindi dot, Raven emerged with her hand on Cottontail's arm. The mirrors shattered away.

The game was over.

_A/N: And so concludes the first challenge with Cottontail, Minister of Trails! I am so happy for all the great feedback. Thank you so much. I like this so much; the last time I wrote this chapter is was less than three pages long (when I typed it) and my thoughts were not so complete. I like the mirrors. When I first came up from the idea, I got it from Ray Bradbury's __Something Wicked This Way Comes__ (which I strongly recommend reading); this time however, I got from it from __Alice in Wonderland__ and __Into the Looking Glass__. It made it easier to put things together. As far as Raven's two sides—you can think of them as Tweedledee and Tweedledum. However, their names (if I had to name them) are Anxiety and Want. And I love the Livewire reference. :p Well since I'm done, gonna make this the last sentence: "See you in the next chapter!" _


	5. Teatime on Mad Hatter St

_**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this story in months. I wanted to try to work on it while I was in school, but college work piles up on you like mad! I hope that you like this chapter and that you add this story to Story Alerts so that you can be updated whenever I add on to this fanfiction. Thanks and Happy New Year!**_

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Terminology_

_Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (b. July 28, 1929; d. May 19,1994-cancer): Wife of president John F. Kennedy _(source: )

_Quote_

"_Even though people may be well known, they hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth: birth, marriage and death." Jackie Kennedy_ (source: )

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Tea Time**

"Mad Hatter St."

That was where the end of the Petit Trianon had led to and where Cottontail had left them, still clasping each other's hand. As the Minister of Trails turned back to the maze, she had given both a kiss on the cheek and disappeared, starry dress and all.

Now, under the laundry flapping above them, Beast Boy and Raven made their way down the street. Mad Hatter Street appeared to be an international marketplace with shops, stands, and brick apartments hugging its sides. Despite the honeysuckle and roses blooming from an ivy-covered floral shop, curry, ginger, and fries flooded Beast Boy's nose and a mixture of music and a babble of languages filled his ears. Women with henna-tinged hands ran their fingers across lace and young teenagers clasped crates of vinyl records in their arms. He glanced at the men in suits and kimonos playing chess, their knobby fingers moving their pieces. Raven's purple orbs glossed over the apartment buildings where music and dripping laundry spilled out before quickly glancing down; she had caught the epitome of a 40s pin-up dressing in her bedroom window.

"Dude," Beast Boy said in awe. He could barely hear himself over a group of gleeful children crowding around a cage of puppies for sale. "This place is freakin' sweet!" He started to move again when he felt movement at his side. Raven was slumped over the side of an apple cart. He made his way past the crowd of the now worried children and helped her up.

"Are you okay?" His grip on her arm was gentle.

"I'm really tired...I need to sit down." She pulled herself to her feet and followed Beast Boy across the street to a table. "I'm never playing Tag again." She added as an afterthought. They both settled into the ornate iron chairs and listened to the sounds of rumba music overhead. "So where's the Queen of Hearts?"

Suddenly the sound of the street was overcome with the blaring of a trumpet. Excitement zipped through Mad Hatter Street: people jumped up and fingers straightened their African dresses and cardigans, zoot suits and letterman jackets; children lined up to the curb as sounds of horses got louder giggling animatedly. Before purple and green eyes, a large carriage pulled by a drove of large horses pulled up on the curb in front of them and with a grand swing of the door and the roll of a red carpet, The Queen of Hearts in a pink suit stepped out the carriage, her pink-bowed feet _en pointe_.

_Who is she supposed to be? _Beast Boy thought. _Jackie Kennedy?_

"_Oui._ More or less." Her gloved fingers adjusted her pillbox crown. Returning the kisses of the children and making her way down the steps of her carriage, the queen settled at their table, the familiar and seductive smile still on her lips. "But here you are! Outside the Petit Trianon! We _must_ celebrate your success with teatime and you picked the perfect place: 10/6!" She motioned at the tables around them clad with ornate teacups and pots with tags begging "Drink me!" "Eat me!" and "Pour me!" A waitress appeared and began to pour the queen her tea.

"I honestly have to say…I never expected you to make it out so quickly. Maybe in a few days, but not in a few hours. As you can see, we've had many people to fail." She gestured to the street behind them. The street's occupants had disbursed and were again focused on the world around them. A group of women in kimonos were singing loudly and the sound of a guitar flitted outside an apartment window. A group of men in Punjabi turbans gazed at them through the smoke of their hooka.

"You mean all them went through the Petit Trianon?"

"Some of them did. Others are just the children of those who did. But the ones who did failed for one reason only: they failed to realize themselves." She grinned as the waitress stirred her sugar and left. Her periwinkle eyes blinked at the two superheroes' confused looks.

" 'Even though people may be well known, they hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth: birth, marriage and death.' That's it." The key resting on her chest glowed serenely.

She solemnly sipped her tea and bit into her cake.

And left.

"I must be off, darlings. Got to watch my figure. But oh, you haven't had tea yet and you're all alone now! I must leave you someone to take my place." She ran back into the carriage and re-emerged with a girl behind her. "This," she smoothed the girl's side ponytail and adjusted her red plaid stole around her shoulders, "is Passion. She makes the most absolutely wonderful tea." The young girl bowed deeply towards the queen and did not move until she was gone.

Passion seated herself in the vacant chair. She adjusted her red dress before holding up a container of Red Tea. "Do you want this kind?"

"Um, sure." Both pairs of eyes watched as Passion's nimble fingers prepared their tea and poured it into two porcelain cups. She handed the first cup to Raven and then Beast Boy. "Here, this will give you your strength back." She pressed her red lips to her own cup and took a long sip. Bob Marley and the loud voices of a group of Vietnamese women overtook the silence at the table.

Raven and Beast Boy followed suite, but as the changeling pulled at a finger sandwich, he kept looking at the mysterious girl sitting across from him. She seemed pretty harmless as she blew at her tea and took a bite out of a colorfully-decorated piece of cake. But he could not fight the feeling that he kept getting from her. It was like he should be scared. Her long eyelashes fanned out as she closed her eyes; the warmth of the tea added a tinge of color on her otherwise pale, Japanese cheeks. He felt trapped within something.

He took another long draught of the tea. The sound of yipping puppies reached his ears.

As far as he and Raven knew, they were still undergoing the Queen of Hearts' ministers' challenges. And that meant that they could be tested at any time. With Cottontail, they had been placed inside of the Petit Trianon, but that did not mean that they could not walk into their next test on their own.

And it was possible that they had.

An escaped toy airplane whizzed above their heads and into the lines of laundry.

_Why else would the Queen of Hearts show up?_

Raven took a bite out of her sandwich and sipped the last of her tea. As she placed her teacup down, Passion filled it to the brim again.

Though Cottontail herself had been pretty straightforward about her challenge, that did not mean that the others were going to do the same with their challenges. Or even about who they _were_.

Passion set down her teacup and confirmed all his thoughts with one glance.

"So." Beast Boy began. The chattering and noise that had dominated Mad Hatter Street seemed to quiet with that one word. "Which minister are you?" Raven's eyes widened.

"Minister of Police. I'm in charge of the Police Department and I interrogate all the prisoners in the jail. There is no secret that they can keep from me." Her words were straightforward, her voice mature.

"And we've started the challenge?"

"Yup." The minister pushed her chair back calmly as Beast Boy jumped up and ignored Raven's pleas to calm down. The empath restrained her companion as he knocked over the teacups and pots on the table with his outburst. "There's no need to be defensive; _you've _already started the challenge." She pointed at his half-full cup.

Beast Boy could feel his eyes blurring as he stared at the frothy liquid. He was beginning to see things: a raven, a broken heart, crowds of out-of-focus people, the figures of girl after girl after girl. He blinked hard. "You drugged it." Passion's three out-of-focus heads nodded. "But you never s…Cottontail—"

"When you told Her Highness you'd accept our challenges that meant you accepted them automatically. I'm not going to ask for permission or what you'd prefer. She locked her eyes with him. "Your challenge is to tell your deepest secret. That's the only way you can get rid of the drug and finish the test."

"What secret?"

"I don't know, Garfield." She paused at the use of his real name. "Pick one. Since I don't know you'll have to tell me all of them to be sure. How'd you get your powers? How did you meet her?" Passion looked over at Raven. The teen in her blueberry-colored dress ignored the minister and was trying to calm Beast Boy down.

"Who's Terra?" Both paused and stared at the minister. Beast Boy's body gave an involuntary shudder. He looked defeated and angry at the same time.

"Who's Jillian?"

Beast Boy's eyes glanced back at Raven and his hands dropped from her shoulders like molten lava. "How do you…?" His converses scuffed against the ground as he backed away. Fearful green eyes looked at the curious ones staring back. "Raven, stay here. I'll…be…back. I'm coming back." He turned away from the two women and ran off.

-

"Beast Boy."

He should have picked a different place to hide. A phone booth wasn't the best place for a green teenage superhero to hide in after all. Raven quietly closed the door behind her and snapped the latch shut.

His jacket was open and his shirt clung to him, its graphic skull looking wet and all the more grotesque. "Why are you here? How'd you leave?"

"She let me go. Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Everything is still blurry—even you. Besides, until I tell her my secrets, I'm still drugged. Why would she want me to tell about Jillian?"

Raven ignored that question. "She said you had to tell your secrets, but she didn't say that you had to tell _her_. You can tell me." He looked in her general direction. "You can trust me.

"Who's Jillian?" She closed the little space they had left in the booth.

He sighed. There was no way he could get out of this. "Jillian was this girl I had a crush on a long time ago."

_So, to make up for my fanfic neglect, I've given exactly what you probably wanted: another chapter! I really didn't think it would go in this direction; it's completely different than what I did before. I hope that everyone liked Mad Hatter Street; it was really hard to be concrete on how everything was without telling every detail. But I think you having your own idea of what it is supposed to look like is better than just telling you. And I like Passion. I hope you don't think that she's mean—she's really not supposed to be. She's certainly more serious than the queen or Cottontail. Oh well. I felt like the last chapters were definitely more Raven-oriented and so I decided I'd give BB his shine. He's really cute in this. I hope to keep this going…wish me luck!_


	6. Jillian

***Beast Boy has one of the most interesting stories out of all the DC Comic Universe characters and so I hope you try to read it for yourselves. While Jillian Jackson is an actual character within the Beast Boy/Changeling comics of the 60s and 70s, her character and the nature of her and Beast Boy's relationship has been greatly altered for the purpose of this fanfic and this chapter. **

**But don't get it twisted—she's the closest thing to a girlfriend Beast Boy's ever had. : ) **

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

****I am sorry for not mentioning this before, but this fanfic also takes place before the last season of ****Teen Titans.**** I'm sorry I never mentioned that before. My mistake. Enjoy the chapter!****

**Jillian**

Beast Boy stared outside the phone booth window. Neither had spoken since his declaration and the sound of their breathing was deafening. Raven looked on at Beast Boy's sullen expression and hard eyes. Their combined heat fogged the small windows. He swallowed his spit and started.

"I'm not like you. I wasn't born with my powers. After my parents…died, I was turned over to their attorney _Nick Galtry_." Bitterness laced the name. "Dear ol' Nick turned me over to a branch of S.T.A.R. Labs in San Francisco. The scientists there were interested in his new ward—an eight-year-old green boy with an unstable DNA pattern and the ability to turn into animals. Just about everyday, I had to perform all these tests to display my power. There were tests for me to change my shape and test my endurance and length of time of transformations. I really hated that lab.

"Anyway. The lab was affiliated with a hospital and that's where I was put. That hospital was known for pioneering treatment for meta-humans. If I wasn't being tested, I was there. And I was the only meta-kid there.

"I met Jillian because she was a candy striper there."

_He could not hear any whispering outside his door anymore. __They must've left._ _The lonely expression on his face quickly became a stubborn pout. __Fine! I don't care if they don't talk to me anyway_. _He emerged from the shelter of the hospital blankets where hints of antiseptic and lemon tinged the air of his dark hospital room. He was alone again. Mr. Galtry had not been by for days and he had not seen a candy striper for even longer—they usually gave him his snack while he was still at the labs to avoid him._

_All of them, those high school, something-year-old girls, had made it a point to avoid him since the first day the Head Nurse introduced him. It was bad enough they had exchanged cruel and mean whispers between each other as he stood in the unwanted spotlight. But things got worse: he had wanted to back to his room so bad that it triggered his power. He had turned into a green frog in the middle of the floor. It was a wonder that none of them had stepped on him as they all shrieked and hopped over one another as if the tiles had become diseased. He had finally changed after hopping into a supply closet where emerged after an hour naked and crying._

_Since then, each of them avoided him in their fear of him: they gave him his snack early and told the Head Nurse he was "sleeping" to avoid talking or reading to him. And in his eight-year-old confusion, anger, and abandonment, he avoided them, too. The only way he met any of them was with "initiation," when a new striper came to the hospital, she would have to walk into his room and emerge screaming. It was expected that he had changed into something gross: a bug, a mouse, a frog, a snake. And he fulfilled their expectations every time springing from under the sheets croaking or hissing. Thinking about them even now made him angry. __I hate them!_

_He paused._

_He never hated anyone before. _

_He hugged his teddy bear tighter at the thought._

_That was when his door started opening. _

_In walked a new girl, a new candy striper holding a tray of food, her path making squeaky sounds across the floor. He glanced over at his side where his dinner table was; sure enough, the tray of food was nowhere to be seen. He panicked as she walked inside. In a single motion, he flung his body back and cocooned himself back under the blankets, his ability to change and his angry regard for candy stripers alike overtaken by fear._

_He heard her uniform white shoes squeak over to his bed and the clack of the tray unto his table. Other various sounds overtook the room; most likely she was trying to set up everything for him. In what seemed like hours, the shoes finally retreated and the door clicked closed once again._

_Is it safe?_

_He waited a few moments before moving. Cautiously, he re-emerged from his blanket only to find the new striper staring at him. He had been tricked and he knew it from the smirk on her face. The room was overtaken with clicking again, her trick revealed as the bathroom doorknob clicked much like the hospital room doorknob. As she slowly released the handle and stepped away from the bathroom door, she walked right back towards him. She smelled like baby lotion and he could see the slight California tan on her skin. _

"_Hey, I'm Jillian. I'm new. I brought your lunch." She pointed at a tray. "You got some apple juice, something that might be pudding, and something that is definitely animal crackers." Her long blonde hair trapped in its side ponytail glowed in the distant fluorescent lights. The pretty smile she gave him wrinkled her otherwise straight nose and her blue eyes sparkled even in the dark room. Garfield could feel his heart jump into his neck and even though he wanted it to move, it stayed there._

"_So what's your name?"_

"_Um…um…Gar-Garfield."_

"_Cool, like the comic strip! My favorite Fat Cat! Well, Garfield, make sure you eat some of that pudding; I really want to know if it's real. I'll be back in half an hour." She left the room, softly closing the door behind her._

_In the dark hospital room, Garfield found himself doing what no normal eight-year-old boy who believed in girls and their cooties ever did: blushing._

"Jillian was sixteen and wanted to be a pediatrician for meta-humans. Working at the hospital was to help gain experience. She liked all the kids, but she hung out with me the most. I don't know why she didn't act like the other stripers, but I was grateful. She was the only one of them who talked to me. I," he paused and then gave a small chuckle. "I told her I hated this," he ran a hand through his green hair, "and she came back the next Monday…"

_Garfield's mouth hung open. He could not help it; there were a couple of things he saw on Jillian in the now fluorescent-lit room. The first had been yet another stripe added to her apron. The second was her hair._

"_What happened? You dyed it pink!"_

"_Yup." She grinned and sat down in the chair beside him still left in its position after Nick had left from his weekly visit, his unwelcome presence still around in the smell of heavy cologne._

_Now Jillian sat in the same seat brushing her side bang from her eye. What had been long and blonde last Friday was now barely shoulder-length and colored the same shade as bubble gum. It was like someone had poured a pitcher of pink lemonade over her head. "My friend did it for me on Saturday. Do you like it?"_

"_It looks weird. Why did you change it? It was normal."_

_She gave him a serious look and stopped playing with her bangs before answering. "Because you have green hair."_

"_But—"_

"_You said you hate your green hair. Well, I hate the color pink. These are exceptions." She pointed to her head and tugged her uniform apron. "But there you go. So now that my hair is pink and yours is green we can look 'weird' and not normal together." She shrugged like it was elementary._

_Garfield placed a hand on his head. His hair had been growing a bit shaggy and was starting to come over his eyes. He remembered Nick sniffling in his displeasure and off-handedly saying he would call a barber to come over. And now he looked at Jillian with her pink lemonade locks._

_Not normal together.__ The thought made him smile a little. "I like your hair." He said now._

_She grinned, satisfied, and walked over to the door._

"_I like your hair, too."_

"Jillian was always doing stuff like that. You know how she convinced me and the other kids to play with each other?" Raven shook her head. Beast Boy grinned. "She used the Wild Thornberrys." A smile to match Beast Boy's graced her lips.

"_Yup." She stared at the crowd of grade-schoolers that crowded around her in their hospital clothes. "I mean, think about it. That girl on the show can talk to animals. And that's cool. But what's cooler than talking to animals?"_

_The room paused as all the kids thought of the answer. _"_Turning into animals?" A girl with a large cast on her leg eventually answered._

"_Yeah." She turned to Garfield. "And he can do that. Who wouldn't want to play with someone like that?"_

"The Head Nurse noticed how Jillian was good with me—making me talk and play with all the other kids—and she rewarded her with more stripes. Soon, not only did she have all of her stripes, she had them faster than some of the other girls that had started earlier than her.

"That was the first problem."

Raven looked up. "Problem?"

"Yeah. Problem."

_There were three of them this time. He noticed them the moment they started walking down the hallway; with the three of them walking side by side, they took over most of the hallway. Jillian's fingers finished tying the back of his hospital gown and she gripped his hand protectively. Her eyes switched from face to face and she began to mirror the unsmiling faces surrounding them._

"_When did you get your last stripe?" One finally asked. As she cocked her head, the beads on the tips of her braids clicked together._

"_Yesterday." Jillian slipped her hand from Garfield's to cross her arms. "Something wrong?"_

"_That's funny. All of us started at the same time. And we all started earlier than you. So how do __you__ get all of your stripes before __us__?" The second girl, a tall Hawaiian, asked. _

_Garfield recognized her from the first day. In the chaos of his transformation, she had been the very first to run away. It had taken the Head Nurse about twenty minutes to convince her to come down from the Nurse's Station desk. Now, Garfield was staring up into her nose._

_The girl continued. _"_But if I had made friends with the sickest kid here, I probably would've gotten my stripes, too, right? Too bad they don't have meta-kids for all of us." All four girls looked down at Garfield's shaggy green head._

_Jillian looked down at shaken little boy and noted the eight-year-old eyes beginning to fill with small tears. From his blurry view from the floor, he watched her face slowly change from its regular view to a creeping pink. The color reached from her cheeks to her ears. And her jaw began to clench; her face was all seriousness and her hand slipped out of his. If he had been laughing, he would have noted that with her pink hair she looked like a lemonhead._

_She whirled around and stepped to the tall one. _"_Maybe if you were doing your job and not talking on your phone, flirting with that male nurse, or watching me, you'd probably have all your stripes now." Jillian's gaze was not even to her shoulder, but her voice was threat enough._

_She glanced at the other one with the braids. "And maybe if you had been nice to __every __kid here, you would have your stripes. Don't hate me because I do it better than you. And don't try to gang up on me again. I don't wear this uniform all the time." _

"_Is that a threat?"_

"_I don't threat. I make promises." They looked at the little boy again before turning back around. Jillian knelt to the floor and searched Garfield's crying eyes._

"_Do you think I'm sick?" He asked her._

"_No."_

"_Are you only being nice to me because you want your stripes?"_

"_No. __I'm sorry. I don't think you're sick or that I'm not being nice because I want all of my stripes. I'm doing it because you're my friend. And I work hard for my friends." She ruffled his hair as the tears began to fall. I just can't punch them for you, though." She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry."He grasped her hand and walked down the hallway._

"After that, none of them talked to either of us. But it was okay. She was okay with that and so I was okay with that. I had made friends with the other kids. And she was nice and pretty and smart and brave. It wasn't hard for me to like her. And I really liked her. But I messed up.

"I didn't like Nick. Nick was an ass. But I told him that I liked her. That became the second problem--the big problem.

"_I've been told that you haven't been cooperating with the scientists and doctors at the lab. I can't stress how important you do so for your own well-being." Nick said coldly. Garfield sneezed at the smells of his heavy cologne and cigarettes. Nick took a few steps back; he did not want to mess up his new suit. It was Gucci._

"_I don't wanna go back to the labs." Garfield crossed his arms and pouted. _

"_Oh? Then what do you want to do?"_

"_I wanna go to school."_

_Nick glanced over at him before giving him a capped-toothed smile. Some of his teeth were yellow. He chuckled in disbelief. "School? _School?_ You can't go to school. Right now, you can't even leave the hospital. There are still more tests—"_

"_I don't wanna be tested no more! I wanna go to school! I wanna go to the park! I wanna be normal!!!"_

"_Well, that's too bad because you're __not__ normal!" Nick slammed his fists on the hospital bed. He gave the young boy a hard look before regaining his composure. "Your parents' attempt to save your life has made you not normal. __That__ is why you need to continue your tests—"_

"_NO!! I don't want tests! I want to go outside and play. And be with Jillian. Because I like her and she likes me and I'm gonna marry her and run far away from you!"_

"_Don't be stupid!" Nick shouted._

"_Shut up! I'm not stupid!" Garfield climbed from the hospital blanket and got on all fours on the bed. He could feel his body changing: bones cracking, fur growing, changing vision, and a low, steady growl. To Nick's fearful eyes, he was staring at an angry, green, growling puppy in a hospital gown._

_The door behind them opened and Jillian walked in before freezing at the sight of the two in front of her. While Nick looked on in horror, Garfield dodged the attorney and ran towards the door. By the time he reached her, he had already become a boy crying in her arms._

_Jillian was at a loss for words. "Um, um, I don't…um—"_

"_It's fine." Nick growled and straightened himself and his suit. Wordlessly, he pushed past the two children and left the room. He left the floor without a word or explanation to the curious and startled patients and attendants. _

"Things went downhill from there. After that, Jillian had been questioned by the program coordinators about 'the nature of her relationship' with me. Apparently they had been given a complaint about her behavior.

"Nick?" Raven asked.

"No. …Maybe, but not only him. Maybe by those girls, too. It must've been weird to people, a sixteen-year-old girl so close to an eight-year-old. I think someone there must've thought she had been…_touching_ me or something. Before things got too bad, Jillian quit. She couldn't keep getting in trouble; if she had stayed and fought, she might've lost a good chance at being a doctor. She would've been turned away from any hospital later on in life.

"I didn't blame her at the time… I still don't." Silence. A shaky breath. "Before she left, she saw me one last time."

_He almost did not recognize her. Jillian was blonde again and she wasn't wearing her uniform, just a t-shirt and jeans. She walked over to him in the dark hospital room and stared at him. But the confident, bold look she had given him the first day was gone._

"_Hey." Her voice was small and sad._

_Garfield gripped her arms tightly and yelled. _"_I'm sorry! I said something bad. I told Nick that I liked you and that we were going to get married. I'm sorry. But I'll fix it! I'll tell everyone I was lying and they'll blame me. And then I'll tell everyone I'm sorry and you can come back."_

_Tears filled her eyes. "Sorry, Garfield." Her voice was thick and breaking. "I don't think that's gonna work." He started to sniffle. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'll be okay and I know you will, too._

"_I know you'll be okay. You know why I know that? Because you're sweet. And nice and you laugh and turn into cool things. Every other striper here was being stupid and you needed a friend. So I was a friend and you were a good friend back._

"_It's okay. I'm not mad about anything you said to Nick. So, so," She wiped her eyes. "So don't be sad, okay. Be good. Promise me you'll be good and happy."_

_He nodded. "Promise."_

"_Okay. Since they can't accuse me of playing favorites at my job anymore, I gotcha something." She reached into her bag and brought out three worn-out books. "They were mine when I was little." One was a Garfield comic book. "Because you're named after my favorite Fat Cat. He's really funny—you'll like it."_

_The next was an animal encyclopedia. "I wanted to be a vet once. This is the best because it has dinosaurs in it." And the third was a joke book. Garfield gripped the books in his arms. _

_Jillian smiled through her tears."I gotta go now. Just make sure you stay good and be nice. You're the best when you're nice." She bent over and gave him the softest of kisses on his cheek. She never saw the blush on his cheeks as she walked over to the door. "Bye."_

_The door clicked closed. And Jillian sans uniform was gone._

"After that, I left the hospital. There wasn't anything the doctors and scientists there could do for me anyway; I wasn't diseased, after all. Somehow, it was found out that dear ol' Nick was embezzling the funds my parents left for me. He was arrested. And I was adopted…by people more like me.

"I never saw Jillian again. I don't even know if she even became a pediatrician."

He blinked and straightened up with finality. "I don't know if that was what Passion meant by my 'biggest secret,' but my head's not swimming anymore. And anyway, that's all that's left. There isn't really anymore. And hey," He grinned at Raven, "thanks for listening."

_And there you have it! Beast Boy and Jillian's story. Like I said, I used that AU license like crazy for this chapter so please do yourself a favor and look at the real story. I have to say, this is a pretty sad chapter I've written, but it was cool to write it. I liked looking for Beast Boy's story and adding people we never heard about on the show. And I liked making Beast Boy serious; for a moment, I think he turned into Shia Lebeouf. LOL I just hope that I haven't disappointed anyone. Well, I want to finish the Passion Challenge before I go back to college for my second semester. Hopefully I'll be done before the weekend. I've gotta go brainstorm now. Don't be scared to R&R. See you in the next chapter._


	7. The EverBenefiting Confession

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**The Ever-Benefiting Confession**

Raven always took Beast Boy and everything about him at face-value, but now in the cramped telephone booth, she looked at his back in a whole new light. _That story…explains a lot._ She never heard or asked anything about him—or about any of the other Titans for that matter. It was not that she did not want to, but that she could not bring herself to do so.

Robin was the only exception to the rule, but even then she had placed a self-imposed boundary; just because she deigned to search his mind once did not mean she wanted to ask him any questions about the things she saw later on. After all, she really was not curious about Bruce Wayne or how Robin knew him or anything he did afterhours. Part of her knew it was none of her business; and another part of her knew to ask left her open to be asked.

But now, the empath knew Beast Boy in a range of colors and layers. Why he told bad jokes, why he never talked about his family, what he did before joining the Titans…and Jillian. _I guess that's why he likes blondes so much_, she thought darkly. Curiosity rattled in the confines of her mind, literally pushing her to probe more with a consistent pointer-finger; she kept her mouth shut.

"Hey, Raven," Beast Boy looked over his shoulder now as he straightened from his crouched position. His green eyes twinkled even in the looming darkness of the evening light. "Did you bring anything from that tea place? Other than tea? I'm hungry." His stomach gurgled in emphasis.

"N-no. Sorry."

He faced her now in the small allowance of space. "You never answered my question earlier. How did you escape from Passion and find me?"

"_Did you really drug his tea?" Raven's cold and bitter voice held a tinge of defeat. She did not know exactly why she had not followed Beast Boy; her body was sinking its way into the chair. Her hand gripped the porcelain cup in her hand._

"_Mmhmm." The minister had already comfortably pushed herself back towards the table. Her stole hung half-off her shoulder and exposed the red dress. The Japanese girl shivered in delight at a second bite of her cake._

"_Why?!"_

_Passion paused at the question in her childish and business-like manner. Her black eyes searched the lines of clothes and apartment windows overhead as if they held the words to answer Raven's question. Whenever her spoon hit her cup, it made a bell-like sound. "Because I feel like the secret he's keeping needs to be told." She sipped her tear and placed the cup down again. The look on her face was serious._

"_Secrets have the power to hold and consume you. Everyone has a secret and it threatens to either destroy or enable them. Sometimes a secret's power can be held in sway if it is told or even blurted. What I'm trying to say is I want him to tell his secret because in the end, it will be for his benefit—he'll get what he wants."_

_Raven noted for the first time the tiny design of gold keys around the brim of her cup and gulped at a large amount of air. The words hit a little too close to home and her once-quiet emotions stirred at the weight of them. __I'm getting the feeling she's not really talking about Beast Boy anymore._

_The empathy leaned towards Passion, the curls on her face obscuring her vision. "Does that mean you drugged my tea, too? That you're going to ask for my secrets, too?"_

"_Nope." Passion's barely glanced up. "__I__ don't benefit from learning your secrets."_

"_But you benefit by learning his." Raven felt herself pushing for an answer in spite of the voices in her head telling her to stop. Timid and Caution wanted her to let the subject go; Bravery wanted her to meet the stupid minister's challenge head on. Raven's will kept Fury subdued; it would not really be helping her right now._

"_No." Passion held out her cup and with shaking hands, Raven poured the hot liquid._

"_Then __who__ benefits?"_

"_The person who doesn't know that they wanted to know until they do. And that's not me."_

"_Then you don't want anything. So stop playing games." There was threat in her voice._

_Raven's tea time companion scoffed at the words. Passion held her cup to her lips once more before pulling it away sharply; it had tasted…bitter this time. Her long, lash-fringed eyes stared at the cup and then just as suddenly at the angry face of the superhero. Those eyes kept going back and forth between her cup and Raven. Her eyes were wide with horror and tears threatened to spill out of her eyes._

"_What?"_

_Passion did not answer but continued to start at the cup in her hands…_

"Um, she let me go." Raven looked away. "Maybe, maybe if you're still hungry, we can go back to Mad Hatter Street and steal an apple." She tried to make her way out the cramped booth when Beast Boy's arm blocked her. His green eyes stared at her so intently she was almost damned to think the heat she felt across her face was a blush.

"Raven. Did Passion drug you?"

"No…" The butterflies she felt in her stomach were alleviated and she breathed a sigh of relief. She tried to move again, but he did not budge. Instead, his face was heavy with thought.

And then suddenly, his whole expression changed: the wrinkles in his forehead smoothed themselves and his eyes widened in untainted realization and curiosity. He leaned towards Raven and straightened his back; he was barely an inch taller than her. "Could I know your secret anyway?"

_What? Where did that come from?_

All of a sudden, Raven felt a pain at her temples and her vision blur. Her breathing was laborious and she felt her body get warm. Her back pressed against the door and her hand pressed on her chest.

"Raven." Beast Boy's hand was like ice on her forehead. "Raven, you're burning up. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. What's going on? Why did you ask me that question?"

Beast Boy tried to fan her body to cool her down. "I think Passion drugged you with the same thing as me." The three Beast Boys titled her face towards them.

'_I don't benefit from learning your secrets.'_

'_Then who benefits?'_

'_The person who doesn't know that they wanted to know until they do…not me.'_

She was panicking. Raven's hands scratched at the booth's latch until it gave way from her touch. Her legs pushed from out the cramped space and were ready to bolt. But Beast Boy held her back. "Raven! Raven!! STOP! What's wrong? Where're you going?"

"I don't know—away from here. I've got to go. I need to get away from you! Let me go!" Somehow, she broke free on her own and ran without looking back.

--

This was where the path led to—at least this was where Beast Boy thought it led to. He had been looking for an hour now and the path he had taken—one where he could have sworn he was following or being followed by Cottontail—had ended.

_I guess that was right; after all, she's right there_. Beast Boy's shoes treaded softly under the concrete alcove and down the staircase. Of all the places she ended up retreating to, he had not thought the back alley of the butcher shop would be it. But there she was huddled in the corner; she was gripping her scalp and gritting her teeth in pain. "Raven," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. He approached her slowly and crouched down beside her. "Tell me."

She knew what he was talking about. "No."

"No?! You _have _to! Raven, you've been drugged—probably worse than me after all that tea you had! And you're in pain. Why not?!"

"Because I don't…tell my secrets like you do."

Beast Boy's normally calm face took on a grim look. "That was a cheap shot, Raven. I had to tell you my secret. And I trusted you one of my deepest secrets. You didn't judge me and I'm not gonna judge you. Why can't you trust me with yours?"

"Because it's the worst secret."

"You can tell me." He rubbed a hand on her back.

"Fine. If you think you can handle it."

"_What" Raven asked the Minister of Police again. The look she was being given was unnerving._

_With rattling hands, Passion pushed the cup towards Raven. "How did you do this?"_

_It was the same magic the sixteen-year-old had seen within Beast Boy's cup. In the froth of the tea were images, images less light-hearted than her companion. Demons, fires, people reaching out for salvation, bodies dropping like flies. The two girls thought they were hearing screaming in the back of their minds. Three eyes flashed and then slowly the forth curled into the shape of a raven._

_As suddenly as the images appeared, they ended. And then the tea spilled onto the table as the cup broke in Passion's hand._

_Raven's pale face lifted towards Passion's. The minister had pushed her chair back in fear, the heels of her stilettos scraping the cobblestone in fear. She seemed to come undone as tears spilled from her eyes and she covered her mouth to muffle her sobbing. The world around them was as vibrant and loud as ever, no worse for wear and coated with sounds of Led Zeppelin._

"_You're cursed."_

_Raven ran away after that._

"That's my big secret! I'm damned to cause all that destruction." Raven's shaken started again and she grasped for air; she could feel her headache alleviating as tears filled her eyes.

Beast Boy looked on in wide-eyed fear. "There are prophesies about me in every language: Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, Celtic. They all tell of a horrible demon walking the earth and destroying all life. Fire will fall from the sky, time will stop, the people will turn to stone. 'And the demon Satan himself will go forth into the world and rule. And there will be no repenting for the cries of the land will run dry.'

"But that's not Satan—that's my father, Trigon. And _I'm _the one that lets him out. When it's my half-birthday, I'm supposed to be the portal that leads him unto our plane." Her voice was thick with tears and she shook harder. The fingers around her throat did nothing to stop the vomit threatening to creep up her throat. Her headache had given way to a full-scale panic attack.

Beast Boy's arms were around her before she could ask and his warm body enveloped hers. He had never heard her cry before, but every heart-breaking sob and tear she possessed jerked him. Gray, slender fingers gripped his jacket lapels.

"Please don't make me do it! Please! I don't want to. I don't want to be the one. I don't want to bring him here. It's not fair! Why do _I_ have to be the one! I don't want to! Please don't let me…"

-

_Good, she's finally asleep._ Beast Boy heaved a quiet sigh of relief; he did not want to wake the sleeping girl in his arms. It had taken close to three hours for Raven's panic attack to pass. And for three hours, Beast Boy had stayed through her shaking fits, hyperventilation, and crying. As her knees gave way during a long bout of trembling, he had carried her to the foot of the steps and made them comfortable there. That had meant sitting on the dirty and somehow wet steps while the empath sat in his lap; but, as he reflected now in the darkness, there were worse things a good person could go through.

Like being the daughter of a demon and having to bring said father-demon unto the world so he could destroy everything you love and rule for a hundred decades…or a zit the night before prom. But generally, most people could deal with that.

He quickly frowned at the ill-at-thought joke and snapped his head up to the world outside and above where red lights were constantly being turned off and on and people entered and exited burlesque clubs and nightclubs. Faint and deep, even breathing reached his ears.

_What kind of father does that to his daughter?_

Beast Boy held her a little tighter. He could think about that first night when he had met Raven and the other Titans and the first words she had said to him in that timid voice. _'A secret identity? But you're __green__. Why do you need a secret identity?' _Since then, he had kept trying to push Raven out her shell; it was like the second of three missions: save the world; get Raven to laugh/be funny at least once a month; share the joys of tofu. Part of him did not know why he kept trying to make the first quiet, then sarcastic girl open a little, but he had kept trying.

He remembered the first time he pulled off her hood during daylight. It was not a dare from Cyborg but an impulsive move on his part. It was summer; he didn't understand why she was in that cloak in such warm weather. The laugh that was at the tip of his tongue was swallowed at the sight of her wide, thick-lashed purple eyes.

She was paler than what he had first thought, but her skin was ethereal—she _glowed_. And the shine of her purple hair had its glow too, but it was a really dark glow. He liked blondes, he knew that, but still... If he had had normal-colored skin, it would have probably been red enough to match Raven's angry coloring of her cheeks.

As he gave her a sheepish smile, he had felt his palms get really sweaty; he knew that bubbly Starfire was pretty, but he couldn't deny it: Raven was _pretty_.

It had been _totally_ worth it when that antimatter hand had gripped and flung him across the hallway of the tower.

Beast Boy was not sure of what he had been looking for at the time, but now, as he put his head against the brick wall in an attempt to get comfortable, he figured that he had wanted to see what was there underneath it all. Under that hood. Not body or skin, but what was _there_ past all of that.

And now, he had found it—the vulnerability, the sadness, the pain. A deep secret that was heavier than anything he had personally ever faced. And a sixteen-year-old alien girl that wanted and begged for help, to be saved from something that she was bound to before birth.

The bell tower, somewhere off in the distance began to toll midnight.

His eyelids felt heavy.

He knew the Titans would help. He knew that Robin, at the very least, knew. He knew that they would face it head-on because that was what they did: Raven was a friend and teammate and they were bound by oath on the _Justice League Moral Code of Superheroes and Heroines_ (ed. 15) to do so. But he, Beast Boy/Garfield Logan, wanted to do it…for her.

The grin on his face faded as his traveling companion squirmed in his lap. One of her heavy shoes fell from her foot and unto the concrete and a deep set of wrinkles appeared on her forehead. In the dark, Beast Boy shifted a bit so that he was leaning back comfortably and Raven was using him as a pillow. The squirming had stopped but the wrinkles were still there.

Ever so quickly, Beast Boy felt his lips press themselves softly on Raven's brow. The touch had been so slight and short-lived that it was easy for him to think he dreamt it; but his lips were warm and the wrinkles were gone sure enough. He smiled and cushioned his chin in her soft curls. His arms wrapped around her waist.

"'Night, Rae."

_A/N: So now you know Raven's deepest secret. I hope that you forgot my early mentioning of it, so it was a big surprise (lol). These past two chapters have been the most fun and work I have had all winter break. I didn't think it would go in the direction that it did…but I really liked writing this. There was such a big range of things going on. It was one of the best self-imposed challenges ever!_

_I think one of my favorite things about writing this chapter overall was exploring Raven's emotions. We all know the consequences of Raven's emotions running rampant, however, I feel that in the event that Raven could have the chance to show them without consequence, they would be morbid because of her interlinked destiny with her father: sadness, panic, guilt, fear, etc. etc. I liked this chance to bring many of these things to a head. I also liked Beast Boy at the last section. I didn't write his initial thoughts at the end Raven's confession but I think that the scene after shows how exactly he benefited from hearing it. _

_So this will be the last chapter for awhile. I'm not sure if I will have a chance to write the next chapters while at school, but Passion is done and we're halfway there! I want to remind you to keep me on your Story Alert and I want to thank you for reading so far! You rock for keeping up with this and giving me the R&R. I'll see you when I see you._

_the-lionness_


	8. The Inside of Heads

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Synopsis: Beast Boy and Raven were unknowingly tricked into their second challenge from Passion, the Minister of Police. Under the influence of a drug put into their tea, they were forced to tell their biggest secret. For Beast Boy****, it was the story of his origin and his crush on Jillian, a girl from his childhood. For Raven it was about her father, and her role in a curse destined to begin at her half-birthday. **

**The Inside of Heads**

Who knew waking up could be so awkward?

For the second time, both Raven and Beast Boy woke up to a clear, sunny day inside the card. But while their sleep-blurred eyes momentarily remained unaware of the brick buildings surrounding them and the sounds of Mad Hatter Street flowing into their ears, something else was really really _clear_.

They were _close_.

He was still lying across the bottom steps with his head propped against the butchery's brick wall. And his chin was still propped at the top of her curly head. But his hands…in his sleep, his hands that had been clamped together and placed in a strictly non-perverted way around her waist had betrayed him in a matter of hours. His left was on the small of her back (maybe that was okay), but the right?

It had ended up in her lap, resting on her thigh—the part where her dress had ridden up overnight.

And she was in—as in, _in_—his lap, her own legs sticking out of the crook of his side. Her own arm was wrapped around his waist and her upper-body pressed against his. Her head rested on his chest, dipping and rising with his breathing.

They blinked really hard.

Twice.

Their limbs untangled themselves and they both stood quickly, wide awake from the effort. Purple and green eyes looked out their corners. It was not if they were blushing or embarrassed; they just regarded each other with raised eyebrows trying to understand something really unspoken. Neither of them spoke as they straightened their clothes and Raven retrieved her missing shoe. Both quickly walked up the stairs they had just been laying on and out of the alcove. Because they were not speaking or looking at each other, that left time to think.

Beast Boy thought about last night, about Raven, about Jillian, his self-imposed promise to Raven, about Raven, about waking up with her, about girls in general, about Raven, about crushes.

Raven thought about last night, of her father, of her curse, of Beast Boy, of magic, of anxiety attacks, about Beast Boy, of the day before, of liking Beast Boy.

There was a pause.

_Wait! What was that last one?_

"Do you think we won Passion's challenge?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy's question popped her bubble of thought.

"Do you think we won Passion's challenge?"

She paused. In the chaos of the night before, that was one of the questions that remained unanswered. _One of the most important questions, anyway. _ Both Titans had left her and her tea party in an effort to avoid her challenge, telling their secrets. And Raven doubted if she was there waiting for them—not after she learned about Raven's curse. But they could not move on to the next mission without knowing if they passed the last one.

And if they had failed, that meant another challenge from Passion.

And yet, at the same time, they _had_ revealed their respective secrets to each other. And Passion _had_ said that the challenge was not for _her_.

And they had been in the card for two days now. That was two days without their full powers, without eating or brushing their teeth, and two days missing from their reality.

"We've got to get home," Raven said now. Their stomachs gurgled their own suggestions. "And breakfast."

Beast Boy nodded in agreement. "Okay. We'll just have to keep moving. If the queen or Passion has a problem with that, they can take it up with us later." They shared two wide, impish grins. "Now let's get some grub!"

--

"You're looking for Her Highness? Hmmm." The man made a deep rumble in this throat. "That's going to take a lot more effort." His puckered lips blew out smoke from his pipe.

Once again, the two teens were on Mad Hatter Street, willing visitors to its never-ending, busy chaos. They had accomplished something, they had found breakfast: two stolen apples. But now, their second mission, finishing the queen's castle, left them looking for clues.

Their search found them wandering towards a familiar cloud of smoke, the one belonging to the group of Punjabi men from the day before. In the haze of their hookah, they had apparently found their mouthpiece, a small man in a tweed coat smoking from a cigar.

"Where _is_ the queen's castle?" Raven asked now.

The singed tip of his cigar made an arch, a rainbow of Cuban smoke. "In the sky, a large white castle. Very beautiful…sometimes you can look up and it is sitting there." He looked up, but how he could see through the cloud of hookah above him was beyond them.

"How are we supposed to get up there?"

"A bit of ways from here is a large field. And if you look in the sky," his cigar articulated the path heavenward, "all around you are balloons."

"Balloons?"

"Yes, hot air balloons. In the middle of the field, there is a girl holding a jar of money. You give her money and she gives you a balloon." A long drag. "You take that balloon and you race to the top of the sky to the castle. If you win, you get Her Highness' company."

"We don't have money."

"Oh, you don't have money. Well…" He reached into his tweed coat and pulled out his wallet without hesitation shuffled out bills, all with the image of the queen smirking at them. Both of them looked at the man with gratitude.

"Thank you."

"Of course. You know, it is no problem at all. It makes me happy to know I could be of help to a _beautiful_ couple such as yourselves."

--

It was just like he said.

Everywhere they looked, the field was overtaken by balloons. Some were regular balloons designed with stars or cards or stripes. But others were extravagant: coiled dragons, houses, clusters of puppies and kitties, the Statue of Liberty, and the head of the Queen of Hearts herself. All of them had families and friends milling in and out with blankets and baskets and bottles of wine. The field was overflowing to the brim with a storm of languages and pidgins blending together. In the corner of it all, above a thicket of trees, stood a large Disney-land palace scraping the sky, the Queen of Hearts's castle.

The girl stood in the middle of it all, her jar of coins in hand.

Both Beast Boy and Raven made their way towards her, hand-in-hand. None of her time was wasted. "Pay up." She shook the coin jar. Beast Boy put the bills into the jar and the girl covered them with her lid and begun shaking and swirling the coins in muted harmony, finally pulling off the lid when she was finished.

What had been a container of money was empty save for one silver wind-up key of a bird.

"Your balloon is back there. At my signal, you put the key in its hole and you turn it to get the gas."

Their balloon was a very large, very pink flamingo head. They hopped into the basket on after another, placing the key in its designated place. A small picnic basket sat open and full of sandwiches, fruits, cakes, and one bottle of wine.

"Awesome!" Beast Boy picked up two sandwiches, handing one to Raven and taking the meat out of the other for himself. They munched quietly as the girl began talking and spurring the other balloons on. With the wave of her arm, fires came to life and balloons gently lifted into the air.

Raven looked down at the ground below, the roofs of houses, Mad Hatter Street and the Petit Trianon, fields and gardens that she had not seen before. She waved at other racers and ate her sandwich. But as one balloon shot up past theirs, full of guys whooping, laughing, blowing kisses and making obscene comments, Beast Boy threw his lunchmeat at them and matched their comments with one of his own. "Idiots." He grinned at Raven and stood beside her.

She looked at him out the corner of her eye and her mind went back to its thought of the morning, of liking Beast Boy.

_Do I really like Beast Boy?_ The very question brought her mind to a halting blank. If she thought about it, it would be a good explanation for all the rude, snarky comments, she always said to him. But when the _heck_ did insults turn to "in like?" And who said making fun of Beast Boy meant she liked him?

And out of all the boys—regular and superhuman alike—why Beast Boy? He was nothing like her. Nothing. He was loud, he made really bad jokes, he was really immature and he had not really grasped the concept of forethought. He flirted a lot. If he was not a superhero he probably would have have tried to go into acting. He was the opposite of the kind of boy Raven thought she liked.

And yet…that was not a bad thing at all.

He attempted to make her smile. Beast Boy never judged her or got mad at her—he never once made a mean comeback to match any of her own mean ones. And he was really protective of her too. Not in a way that was overprotective, but in a way that she knew that he had her back. And lately he was making it really obvious that he had her back. Since her birthday, he was always there making sure she was okay. He ran into mirrors for her and he listened to her and sat through her panic attacks. He was far from breaking through her walls, but maybe…he was cracking them?

And call her a super girly girl, but he held her hand made her blush.

That was something, right?

The flamingo head kept floating and her thoughts went along with it.

Maybe…maybe she liked him—or at least was starting to.

_So maybe the question is does he like _me_?_

"Raven?" Once again, Beast Boy was popping her bubble. "I, um, wanted to talk to you about something."

"Huh?" Raven's eyes grew wider. She hoped she had not become a reverse telepath since getting into the card. That would really be a screw-over.

Beast Boy hunched over the edge of the basket and twiddled his thumbs. The way the sun hit his eyes made them look emerald. "I wanted to ask you a question. About, um…us." He had been thinking about it all day and he realized if he did not ask, he might go insane. Part of him wanted to not ask, he wanted things to be the same…but another part of him, the part in his mind that liked blondes and Jillian and Terra had decided his feelings quite awhile ago that he wanted something to change. It had also decided that Beast Boy could no longer suppress it.

He looked at Raven in that pretty blue dress and with her pretty curls. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Um, um…" She yawned, one that was too big and too long for him to believe it was real. "I'm still really tired." She sunk to the floor of the basket and curled into a ball. "Can I sleep and you tell me later?"

He felt his own stomach hit the floor too. He turned back to the perfect blue sky, more perfect than how his stomach was feeling. "Y-yeah, sure. I'll ask later." His fingers mussed his slicked hair.

Raven half-closed her eyes and watched him to see if he was falling for it. And suddenly her eyes closed all the way and she was falling asleep for real.

--

"Raven?" Beast Boy's voice was in her ear. "Raven, wake up."

The empath stirred and opened her eyes to Beast Boy staring at her. She sat up, still sleepy and slow. "What's wrong?"

"The gas in the balloon is almost finished. And we're still in the air."

"What?!" She was wide, wide awake now glancing at the hot air balloon above her. The fire that had been roaring magnificently before had dwindled. And the flamingo seemed a bit deflated. "What happened?"

"I don't know. It started going down more and more. And I've looked, there isn't any more gas."

"Are you serious? What are we gonna do?"

They were still in the air with no way of knowing if they were in the lead. And now that the gas was gone, they were slowing down. There were no alternates around them. No gas, not flame-throwers.

It had to be a long way down.

Other balloons were flying up too fast to ask for spare gas. And who said they would help? Beast Boy and Raven were their competition and just because one man was nice, did not guarantee other people were. They ran to the basket's edge and looked down. Beneath them, the tops of other parachutes were like polka dots, some closer than others. The wind flowed into their ears.

"What are we gonna do?" Raven asked again.

"Jump." Her head whirled to Beast Boy. He was nodding his head. "You see these balloons flying up? All we need to do is jump and land on one. It should have enough air to support us."

"Are you crazy?! We can't do that!"

"You got a better idea?" She did not. He pointed at a fast-moving dot, one with doves as its design. "We're gonna jump to that one and stay up there. Okay?"

She wanted to puke. But she nodded.

They sat on the basket's edge and gripped the strings as the basket tilted with their weight. Their eyes focused on the growing dot and drowned out the yells around them; passer-by had realized what they were doing and were trying to stop them.

"On three, right?"

"Right."

Raven clamped her hand around his—tight—and began to go forward, leaning into it. The open sky greeted her.

_Now would be a good time to see my life flash before my eyes._

She felt something tickle her chin. A fingertip. Beast Boy's fingertips. He turned her head towards his and stared at her for one long second. Before she knew it, he was pressing his lips to her cheek, close enough to catch her bottom lip if he wanted. His lips made an audible smacking sound as he pulled away and his thumb ran over the tip of her chin. He pulled away and stared forward once more.

Heat and goosebumps bloomed from that spot and spread through every inch of her body. She could still feel the stamp of his breath from where he had exhaled from his nose. It was…was…was… She swallowed really hard and looked at him smiling at her again.

"Raven, I think I like you."

He jumped. And because he had slipped his hand into hers without her knowing, she jumped too.

* * *

_A/N: A The-Lioness Service Announcement. Smoking is bad. Just because I mentioned hookah in this chapter does not mean that you should go and look for some okay? D.A.R.E. to be different and live above the influence always!_

_Okay. Enough of that. I am officially done with college (for now)! That means that there will be a lot more of chapters of "The Queen of Hearts, Redux" for the summer. After a few weeks of neglect, this chapter was so hard. But I kinda like it. There is a lot of inner dialogue and thought this time. I only feel bad because Beast Boy's thoughts weren't as rampant as Raven's; however, Beast Boy is a do-er not a strong thinker, so I guess it's all good. I liked a few lines in this chapter. _

_I wanted to give you a little more fluff and I hope that I accomplished my goal to the fluffiest. I really like the little signs here and there: waking up on each other; walking hand in hand, the lunchmeat, lol. But I really like the kiss on the cheek. A little safe I know, but it was perfect for what I wanted. And of course the question "Do you like me?" had to be asked. All in all, I think this was a good way of easing back into this story. I hope to be done with QOHR before the summer's out; hopefully I'll enjoy every second._

_Thank you to everyone who has stayed with this story for so long and waited for me to update. You rock!!! _

_Special shout-out to the Fanfic-er Formerly Known As BuneeRaven, for messaging me out of my writer's block and reviewing me more than once! I hope you liked this one! _

_See you in the next chapter!_


	9. The Challenge to Speakeasy

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Terminology: **

Kohl: the main ingredient used by the Egyptians to make their eyelashes appear darker. It can also add length and volume to the lashes. Kohl was probably derived from charcoal or soot, galena or malachite.

**The Challenge to Speakeasy**

One moment they were falling, feeling the wind pressing against their clothes and faces; the next, it was like they landed on a marshmallow.

Everywhere around them, balloons were floating up closer than before and full of passengers cheering wildly or sighing with relief. It was all the shouting that made them open their eyes. They stared at the closeness of the sky and puffs of clouds around them and the pattern of doves beneath them before staring at each other. They were far from being dead. Raven and Beast Boy both broke out into matching Cheshire Cat grins.

"We made it," Beast Boy said. He stared at the sunlight catching in Raven's wild hair and the tails of her dress flapping up around her. His smiled widened and he cheered. "WE MADE IT!!!" He yelled. And Raven cheered with him, her own yells flying out into the sky. They laughed and cheered with relief and disbelief as the balloons continued floating around them.

--

An hour had probably passed when a sudden gust of wind from out of nowhere suddenly blew. All around them, the direction of the balloons shifted and they each began to follow the same direction, as if caught on the same string. As they looked in the direction they were traveling, they saw the structure of the castle coming closer and closer, taking over its own piece of sky. In what stood out like a gaping mouth was a large outer courtyard. All the balloons began to dip and head in that direction.

"I guess we wait for it to stop and then slide down?" Raven asked. Beast Boy shrugged, not seeing any other alternatives. All too soon they felt a slight bump underneath them and felt the balloon stop moving. Purple and green eyes stared at the castle in front of them. It loomed over them made of white bricks and balconies and gleaming red roof shingles and spotless windows and smooth pillars. The highest peak of the castle appeared to be a tower that almost seemed separate from the rest of the structure. Its golden roof extended far higher than the others to the point it almost seemed to scrape the sky itself. If there was any place on the castle that looked like it linked realities, it was a perfect candidate.

The two teens crawled their way over to the side of the parachute and started to make their way down. They had not gotten far when all of a sudden, the balloon started to collapse and fall with Beast Boy and Raven going along with it. They fell to the ground with a muted thud, the balloon cushioning most of the fall. The groans and whimpers of pain at their lips were swallowed as they looked around. Standing in front of them was the very person they wanted to see, surrounded by her bowing subjects and servants.

And it seemed that since they saw her last, she had found her inner beauty pageant queen, if her pink satin dress was any indication. She stared at them with periwinkle eyes, bending over just enough to see if they were okay but not enough to make the large crown atop her perfectly-curled head fall off. Her key hung from its chain on her neck, taunting them.

"You two really know how to make an entrance," she grinned at them with lipstick-red lips.

They stood up and straightened themselves. Neither of them was in the mood for games. "We want the key and we want to go back home." Around them, witnesses whispered fiercely to one another in surprise and anger at the strangers who spoke to Her Highness _so_ rudely and make _such_ demands upon her.

The Queen of Hearts shrugged apologetically, her whimsical grin never leaving her face. "I can't."

"What?"

"I can't." A tumble of French left her mouth before she settled back to English. "It is out of my hands." In one turn, she walked away from them gesturing to a family waiting anxiously for the monarch and glancing over her shoulder at them. They watched as she crossed the landing and went through the door. The two Titans tried to follow but the moment they neared the doorknob, a funny thing happened.

One by one, the screws to the doorknob began to unscrew themselves and fall to the floor. With a strong rattle, the knob popped out of its hole and fell with a clunk to the ground. The brick wall around them began to rebuild itself, covering the door from their entry. There was now a wall where the door had once stood.

Before they could even think about it, they suddenly felt a presence behind them. Standing behind them was a girl, the same girl from the earlier in the field. As they turned to stare at her, they suddenly seemed to notice the wave of power around, the same one they had felt from Cottontail and Passion before. They just stared at her glowing Japanese skin and her green-and-white dress and green flats. Angry was not the word for the look on her face…more like pissed. Her almond shaped eyes kept shifting from Raven to Beast Boy and back again.

"You guys aren't going anywhere—not before you go past me." She crossed her arms for effect.

"Who are you?"

She knelt down to pick up the pieces of the door and placed them into her jar. "Speakeasy, The Minister of Locks. I'm in charge of almost every lock and I own the keys to almost every lock, bank, safe, and door on this card." Her high ponytail swung as her head swiveled back and forth to stare at them. "But anyway. What the _hell_ did you guys think you were doing? Are you two crazy? Who jumps out a hot air balloon?"

They exchanged a look. "Well, why did you forget to fill it up with gas? We jumped out because the gas ran out halfway up here." Beast Boy countered.

"You weren't listening to me in the beginning were you? Did you take out the key and then turn it again? Usually, everyone has the same amount of gas: two tanks. When the gas runs out the first, you take the key out and twist it in again and that opens the second gas tank." She ignored their thunderstruck faces.

"It was so easy. I mean, this race was practically rigged for you: you guys got more gas than everyone else, you got one of the best balloons we own, and you were positioned to be in the best wind stream. This was cake. You were supposed to win, I would say so, and then you'd move on."

"So wait," Raven cut in, "the hot air balloon was supposed to be our challenge?"

"Yeah, until you messed up."

"How were we supposed to know that you were a minister? What the heck kinda challenge is racing up in a hot air balloon?"

"The easy kind that you failed! And how did you _not_ know I was a minister? You've met two us already! Who _else_ have you met on this card that can use magic besides Her Highness? Ministers, duh. And I don't know why you thought you could just go up to Her Highness like that; you guys agreed to _our_ challenges and until you finish them, you can't leave anyway." Speakeasy narrowed her eyes at Beast Boy before suddenly relenting.

"Okay, okay. Well, you failed this challenge, so I guess we'll have to do another one. Wait here—I gotta finish this up." She walked away and went back to the group of hot air balloons.

Raven watched her go and then stared over at Beast Boy only to find him staring right back at her. He gave her a small smile before clearing his throat. "Raven?"

"Hmm?"

"Before we jumped from the balloon, I told you that I…liked you." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Raven too bit her lip subconsciously and started to twiddle her thumbs. "I wanted to know…do you like me, too?"

Raven froze, her mind thinking a million and one thoughts, with him at the center of every one of them. She noted, as she glanced at him, that his face was really guarded: he did not look too hopeful or too braced for heartache, but there was a glimmer of something in his expression…hope maybe? "Um…um, I don't know, Beast Boy. Can, can you ask me later when we get out of the card? I mean…this really isn't a good time."

His ambiguous expression did not change but whatever she saw before was gone. He pulled back and began staring at the hot air balloons taking off once again. "Yeah. Sure, right." His mumble lapsed over to silence for the next several minutes. Neither of them looked at one another.

If Speakeasy noticed anything when she returned, she was silent about it. She guided them from the landing pad to the inside the castle, down red-carpeted hallways full of ornate paintings and castle guards with kohled eyes and heavy swords at their waists. They finally stopped in the middle of a large, recently abandoned courtyard full of plants and birdhouses. In the back was a large brick column with a large door at its base, what they guessed was the tower door.

The Minister of Locks walked to the center of the courtyard where a stream of light fell through. She turned back to face them and begun to shake her jar. As they looked the once-empty jar began to fill with keys of all shapes and sizes.

"I'm leaving this to chance. The challenge will be whatever key is picked out." They still did not look at each other, but nodded in agreement and watched as she tossed the contents of the jar. More keys, much more than had been inside the jar, fell to the marble floor in a symphony of metallic sounds that continued for several minutes.

Speakeasy walked over the pile of keys, searching through the mess on the floor until finding what she was looking for. Sticking up in the marble floor from the rest of the fallen debris was one small key with a funny etching of zigzags on the head. She dislodged the key and held it up for them to see before dropping it to the floor.

The other keys around them gathered together into one pile in the center of the floor. The stem of each key curled up and extended up towards the ceiling and into the walls coiling and recoiling until they grew into heavy metal bars. As they lodged themselves into the walls, the metal began to shift and mold into each other: handrails, bars, and steps of mixed gold, silver, bronze, and iron were formed with heavy creaks and groans. With one final grinding sound, the two Titans were looking up at a never-ending labyrinth of stairs.

"This is the House of Stairs. We each have to take a stair and try to reach the top. That's where the key you need is. And you have to reach it before I do." She stood in front a flight and waited as they did the same. "Ready? Okay, go!"

--

It only took Raven and Beast Boy a little more than an hour to realize The House of Stairs was more complicated than they first thought. Unlike everything else they had encountered, it was just as it appeared, an endless labyrinth of stairs. But that was the problem: they could not find the right set of stairs to get them to the key. They found themselves along different kinds of stairs in different ways—up, down, straight up, upside down—in their search but were so far unsuccessful. About the only advantage was Speakeasy seemed to be as lost as they were; she too, had been stuck in the same area they were.

Raven and Beast Boy kept crossing each other's path, both pointedly trying to not notice the other since the landing pad. It made it that much harder to focus or even try to find. But as two separate stairs they were on ended up side-to-side, Beast Boy found himself running back upstairs to catch Raven before she disappeared. She whirled around at the touch of his hand gently gripping her arm.

"What?"

"Why won't you answer my question?"

Raven stared at him like he grew a second head. "Beast Boy, I told you. I'll answer when we get out of the card."

"But why until then?" Raven made her turn at her stair and Beast Boy found himself trying to find a new step. He settled for a catwalk directly underneath her. "What's the difference between then and right now?" He climbed down a step ladder before getting unto another flight.

Speakeasy switched between the two faces with a look of confusion carved on her face.

"Right now we're in the middle of a challenge on a bunch of stairs. I mean, you're _upside down_! Can't this wait?"

"No," Beast Boy looked down at her. "I really wanna know. Do you like me?" He waited for her to say something, but only silence answered.

"You don't, do you?" The question hung sourly in the air before the fight went out of him. He kicked the ground with his shoe and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stopped on a landing and made his way to another stair before tripping on something. He almost swore as he tried to pull himself up and look at whatever it was he fell on.

Underfoot was a small, meticulously polished wooden box unmarked with any kind of etching. He quickly lifted the lid and peered inside. There on the bottom was an iron key. It too was polished and devoid of any carvings. "Dude," he whispered, "I found it."

In the very next second, he heard a large sound of metal breaking apart and felt the stairs begin to shift underneath him.

--

As the stair underneath her settled once more, Raven found herself nowhere closer to the key than ever. She had been sitting on this particular flight of stairs, thinking, when Beast Boy had found the key; she was on the same stair, but it had moved to another place in the labyrinth. In fact everything looked different. Her eyes shifted around and noticed Speakeasy in the corner. "What just happened?"

The Minister of Locks detached her hand from the rail she had gripped for dear life during the shift. "Beast Boy found the key so I guess the stairs shifted. The rules still apply, though: find the key before me." She waited until Raven made a move to get up before starting again.

Raven raked her hand through her hair before climbing a spiraled flight of steps. She needed to get that key before Speakeasy. Otherwise, they would have to do another one of her challenges. Her footstep clunked against the steps as she raced upstairs. A dead end was what awaited her. She turned around and walked back down. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip as she tried and failed to think about Beast Boy.

She was _not_ going to think about if she liked/disliked/was not sure if she liked him and why again. Instead, she thought about why she could not bring herself to tell him how she felt. Part of her wanted to blame the obvious stuff: her dad; their different personalities; her not dating someone before; and all the teen awkwardness that liking someone brought on like kissing and being super girly. She shuddered with the thought. But even she had to admit those were the worst excuses she could think of.

If she had to be 100-percent honest with herself it was because it was easier to pretend that it could not happen outside the card. It was easy to think that he could like her and vice versa when they were here: they had no powers; Raven could show each of her emotions whenever she felt or did not feel like it; people thought they looked cute together. But when they left…their powers would come back, Raven would have to spend most of her time reining hers in again, and people would say things like "I _knew _you liked her/him!" and/or "You're dating _her/him_?" He might have said he liked her now, but what about then. She could almost write the script to their "It's-not-you-it's-me" breakup talk.

And even if that did not happen, in a few months it was possible that that would matter…

It was better to let him believe that she did not like him back, right?

She waited for a disembodied voice to answer her question.

"Hey!" She looked up and saw Speakeasy staring at her. Like Beast Boy before, their stairs were beside one another. The Minister of Locks leaned into the rail. "Do you like him?"

"What?" Raven felt every drop of blood travel towards her face.

"Do you like him?" She repeated. Speakeasy shook her ponytail as she watched Raven come up with a good lie. "You do." She waved off Raven's plea to be quiet unless Beast Boy overheard.

"Listen, listen! I'm not going to be like Cottontail or Passion with this one: I'm not gonna watch you and wait for you to stumble across the answer or give you the answer in code. You like him, so tell him so!"

"I…can't. It's not that easy."

"Yeah it is! He likes you, you like him. Isn't that all that matters, at least for right now? Stop trying to find excuses. He's really cute and anyway. What do you have to lose?" She grinned at her and walked to the bottom step and sat down, waiting for her to proceed.

Raven watched her go and continued trying to find her way up. By the time she reached it, she came to her decision. A few flights later, she found what she was looking for: a landing for her to stand on.

Gathering her last bit of courage, she cleared her throat and opened her mouth to hear this voice come out. It took awhile for her to realize it was hers.

"Um, Beast Boy? I know you asked me if I liked you and I'm ready to tell you. But before…um, I think I was waiting for us to leave the card because I wanted to tell you no. That way, everything could be normal: you could tell stupid jokes, and I could tease you about it. I haven't had a boyfriend before…," she doubted if Crayola could even name the color of her face right now, "and I wanted us to stay…friends. But I guess we wouldn't have been cool with that…"

Okay, he still had not answered her and she was crashing and burning.

"Okay," she decided to nose-dive into it, "I guess if I have to answer your question, I do like you. Butonlyareallyteenytinylittlebit." She sighed as she felt the weight release itself from her chest. She nearly jumped as she felt a weight lower unto her shoulders. Beast Boy was grinning back at her. His lips were inches away from her skin and his breath tickled her ear as he whispered in it.

"Okay, Rae. I can work with 'areallyteenytinylittlebit.'" He smiled at her and lifted up the wooden box to her. She popped open the lid and stared at the key inside. This time when the stairs moved, they shifted in much the same way they had earlier and one by one, keys rained unto the floor. Speakeasy walked up to them with a smirk on her face.

"Okay, so you won. The tower's right over there. If you open and go straight up, you'll be in the right place. Hello?" She looked at them staring at one another. It seemed they forgot that she was in the room. "Hey, hello? You guys?"

_A/N: And there you have it! Speakeasy's challenge done via the 3 o clock hour. I decided I wanted to make this one chapter a bit longer than usual and just have the challenge in one chapter as opposed to two or three. I'm on the fence about the beginning of the chapter. I achieved what I wanted but I think I wasn't too hot about my execution of it. I'll be the first to admit that. _

_You know, I like Speakeasy. I feel like as far as the ministers have gone, she's real cool. She's much more talkative and straightforward than Cotton and Passion (though I do love Cottontail and Passion each in their own special way). She's kinda funny; she really lives up to her name. _

_I also like the stairs my idea for them was inspired by two things: William Slater's book, __The House of Stairs__ (a very good book in my opinion) and M.C. Escher's __House of Stairs__. I kept being reminded of that old show Xaiolin Showdown. I don't know if any of you remember that show but I always liked how the showdown was this elaborate thing, and I wanted to use that._

_Beast Boy and Raven are really cute. I wanted to give a little bit of tension in the mix. I think Raven's speech is really OOC but c'mon you remember telling that person that you liked him/her. That's awkward and it gets worse when you get older! But anyway…_

_Well a few more chapters (maybe two or three—including the epilogue) to and then I'll be done. I'm kinda excited and worried…I don't want them to suck (that's reason number 1 why this one didn't come out soon after the last chapter). LOL But we'll see. I just want to say "Thank you" to all the people who have reviewed and added me to their Favorite Author Lists. I'm really honored and aware this A/N is getting really long. I'll see you in the next chapter! Adios! _


	10. The Taste of Nipponese Steel

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the Queen of Hearts and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_Warning: Characters can and will appear slightly OOC._

**Terminology:**

**Nipponese:** the base of the word, "Nippon," is simply another word for "Japan."

**The Taste of Nipponese Steel a.k.a The Final Challenge**

There was only one stair inside the tower and it led a curly path straight up to the roof. And, walking hand-in-hand, this was the path Beast Boy and Raven followed. Their footsteps echoed against the damp brick walls and made lanterns light up as they continued one step at a time.

"I'm never using the stairs when we get back to the tower," Beast Boy joked. He grinned for all about two seconds before a jerk at his arm stopped him from walking. Raven was doubled over clutching her forehead in pain.

He pulled off her hand and drew back as he saw a thin trickle of blood traveling down her face. The bindi dot that had been missing from the center of her forehead for almost two days had wormed itself back to her pale skin. Even now, it gleamed at him fiery and terrible. He cleaned her up the best he could with his jacket sleeve.

"Hey, are you okay?" His hand soothed her back with small circles. But suddenly, he himself was doubling over with searing pain coursing through his body. He could hear the tiny sounds of his bones cracking and snapping. It felt like every bone and joint in him was painfully trying to readjust. He did not move an inch until it was over. "What was that?" He rasped.

"I don't know…but whatever it was, it must mean we're close to wherever we're supposed to go. Which, I'm guessing, is there. She pointed to the landing above them where light seeped from out of what looked like a door.

Raven's hand sought out Beast Boy's and her fingers intertwined in his. "You ready?"

"Yup. Are you?"

She gave a small smile. "Yup."

They crossed the door frame and walked inside the doorway to the sound of applauding.

--

It seemed they had wandered into a battle museum. Along the walls were all types of weapons imaginable: swords, spears, shields, chain mail, battle axes, guns, grenades, cannons. But there, right across from them was a cut-out, glowing rectangle.

And up above them in a balcony lodged between battle armor, were the Queen of Hearts and four other figures flanking her either side: Cottontail, Passion, Speakeasy, and a short Japanese girl they had never seen before.

But their attention was on the queen sitting in her elaborate black French dress and powdered and plumed hair. "Congratulations! You have actually made to it to the end of your journey. Ah, I can't believe it! Bravo!" She continued her solitary, enthusiastic clapping.

_What is this place?_ Beast Boy stared at the endless weapons around them.

"This is the Battalion Room. Every weapon you could imagine from anywhere in the world is located here. And there," she pointed to the square of light, "is where your reality is."

From the door, a disembodied voice echoed into the room. "That's Robin," Raven whispered.

"…_there for three hours. He says he doesn't know where they could've gone off to. And he says he's never seen this before, let alone how it was able to make Beast Boy and Raven disappear like that."_

"_Do you think Mumbo is lying?" Starfire asked._

"_I don't know. Even if I did believe him, why wouldn't he know where the card…" _Robin's voice faded.

Beast Boy cast a quick glance over at the others. Cottontail, Passion, and Speakeasy all seemed a little too tense. Cottontail was fidgeting, placing her fingers in her mouth and Passion kept wrapping her shawl around herself. Even Speakeasy was quiet, her mouth set in a tight line. He wanted to believe that it was because of the queen, but as he continued looking, he realized his mark was off: they were all looking at the fourth, unknown member.

He nudged Raven with a finger. She nodded; she saw it, too.

They obviously knew something that she and Beast Boy should have known, too.

"Why are we here?"

"This is where your final challenge is going to be." She turned to the new girl. "Raven, Beast Boy, allow me to introduce The Minister of Militia, Katana." She stood and stared at them through the fringe of her side bangs.

"Minister of Militia?"

"_Oui_. I know my card _looks_ peaceful. And it is. But every once in a while, when a group of people or just one person tries to attack me, the militia is the first offensive line of defense. And Katana is my most trusted bodyguard." Katana bowed towards the monarch.

"And she is your last challenger." Katana jumped from the balcony and unto the floor. She was about the same height as Beast Boy with short, neck-length hair, wearing a t-shirt and skinny jeans; both of their eyes went to the sheathed sword in her skull-tattooed hand.

"Lemme guess: a fight, right?"

The Queen of Hearts flashed one of her smiles. "Of course. You should know that monarchs don't fight their own battles; they send other people to do it for them. If you win the fight against Katana, you get my key and you can leave. The two of you together is more than fair."

Raven eyed the sword. "Do we have to use weapons, too?"

"No. This room is in limbo; my power is waned just enough for you to use your own. You probably got them back on your way up here." She settled comfortably into her seat as her ministers leaned forward in theirs.

The two Titans got themselves ready: Raven surrounded herself in her familiar black light and Beast Boy crouched down, ready to be anything he thought could be useful. Katana held up the sword and crouched into a fighting position.

"You could always give up, you know."

"Nope." _How scary can a girl in sneakers be?_

"Not happening."

"Okay. But you can't say I didn't warn you."

Katana took two steps and suddenly she was on them.

Before either of them could blink they heard the sound of metal slicing through the air and instinctively took a step back. Katana had been inches away from them, her sword finally unsheathed. She took her fighting stance, her leg extended out behind her. She ran up to them again and made another swing, this time causing them to retreat to different places. Every step she made was sure and slow; her head kept swiveling from left to right as she waited for them to make the next move.

Beast Boy jumped out at her, turning into a Rottweiler bearing a row of sharp teeth. He felt the hilt of her sword make contact with the side of his head and the hardness of the floor. Raven came in behind her and felt Katana's foot hit her gut. Raven stumbled a bit before charging back and swinging a right hook. The Minister of Militia ducked and came with another kick to the knee, sending the empath sprawling to the floor.

"Azarath Mentrion Zinthos!" A shot of blackness aimed itself at the minister and missed. The ground shook underneath them and both looked up to see a green ram coming straight at them. Raven rolled off to the side; Katana ran underneath the balcony where the battle axes were and found a blank spot for her foot. As Beast Boy butted his head, the petite minister sprung from her spot and jumped over him, her sword coming down as she did so.

He changed back in a flash. "Ahh!" His hand ran over her mark. The back of his jacket was cut open. The trail he followed went all the way down his spine. He knew a crippling move if he ever saw one. "What was that?! I didn't think she was allowed to cut us!"

"She's not—at least, she isn't supposed to give a fatal blow."

"Then why is she trying to kill me?!"

" Honestly, you're fighting her over a _key_! Why would she want to kill you over that?" The queen sounded almost horrified at the idea. Apart from her raised eyebrow, Katana's expression was unmovable.

He touched his back again. Beast Boy did _not_ feel any blood. "So, so she's not supposed to kill us?"

"No! She's just supposed to hit both of you hard enough so you can't get back up. And you're supposed to try to do the same. 'Try' being the operative word here."

The three fighters looked at each other for a minute or so. Katana once again raised her sword and the Titans got themselves ready once more. This time they made a slow circle around the Battalion Room and charged at each other once again.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A group of swords rose from their places on the wall and surrounded the minister. Beast Boy morphed into a cobra and slithered across the floor. One sword. Then three. Then five. All taken down with ease. And then Beast Boy struck and missed. But the moment he touched the ground, he reverted back to his human state and hit the back of Katana's head. She fell to the floor, her sword falling out of her hand.

"Yes! Got—chaaaaaaaa?" In the few seconds Beast Boy registered Katana grabbing his arms and putting her sneaker on his chest, she had flipped him over her. Grabbing her sword, she sprinted towards the cannons and hid. The queen high above cheered loudly at the spectacle.

Raven made her way over, cautiously raising her hands and bracing herself for the minister to stab her or something. A cannon rolled towards her, with The Minister of Militia climbing and walking down the black tube. Her sword swung and missed as Raven stepped back; her foot did the same. But Raven's antimatter hand did not and Katana fell to the floor again.

A flicker of what may have been fear crossed her stoic face as she looked up to see a tiger stalking her with a low growl. Beast Boy jumped at her and she ducked and grabbed a fistful of hair, not letting go even as the changeling went back to his original form. He finally pulled her hand off and twisted her arm back before pushing her way. She fell under the display of masks and did not move for a moment.

"Is, is she done?" Raven asked. The other ministers leaned forward a bit more over the balcony's edge. Even the queen stood up from her seat.

Katana slowly brought herself up, holding her arm and flexing her hand and fingertips gingerly.

"Nope, she's not done." Beast Boy told her with stunned horror.

Beast Boy sprinted over to Raven. A shield wrenched itself off the wall and flew towards Katana. The sound of her foot hitting the beaten metal resounded in the room. Tried as she might, the safeguard was unshakable for the moment.

"Okay, we need a plan—now!"

"Okay, okay! Let me think for a second." Raven stiffened her arm, still holding the shield in front of Katana. From the sounds of fists and feet hitting the metal, the minister was really getting annoyed. The corner of her purple eye caught the sight of Katana's sword in her peripherals. "Okay I got something! They ran towards the sword.

"Crouch down. When I tell you, turn into something—anything. As long as it's really small. And kinda annoying." Beast Boy followed instructions, watching Raven grab the hilt of the sword in the manner of a spear.

She bent her other arm back and, as expected, she shield flew back and came to a stop in front of them. Katana seemed confused for a second but then focused as she saw Raven hiding behind the weapon. She stalked over towards them, cracking her neck and holding her hands up. She was barely halfway when she suddenly broke into a sprint, darting back and forth to confuse the superhero. Finally finding her footing, she broke the façade and faced them head on.

Katana's sneakers had barely made it across the floor when suddenly she was staring at the tip of her own weapon flying towards her. She ducked and heard the dull thud of it lodging into the marble floor. Katana cautiously straightened herself up.

"Now!"

The minister looked up again, to see a green ferret flying towards her. She felt a pressure on the top of her head and felt tiny tangling in her hair. Beast Boy ran circles on top of her head before she threw him off. Her eyes said she was beyond pissed.

She turned and came face-to-face with Raven. And then she was chest-to-fist as Raven's sucker punch sent her to the ground with a thud. Chairs scraped the floor and the sound of heels could be heard above and behind them.

Both Titans watched and waited for her to stand up once more. But as she remained still, the tension and fight finally gave way to relief. Raven slumped to the ground, panting for air.

"Holy crap," Beast Boy turned to her, "we won. We actually won."

--

"You won!" Beast boy and Raven stood in front of the smiling Queen of Hearts, her ministers standing a distance from them and staring over their queen's shoulder. Her nimble fingers reached behind her neck and opened the clasp. Green and purple eyes looked at the glittering golden key twirling on its chain. The queen placed the key in Raven's hand. "When you walk through that door, keep going straight. The door you need will be waiting for you."

She gave them once more, truly genuine smile. "I'm so happy that we became good friends, Beast Boy, Raven." She turned around and began to walk away, her dress trailing around her. One by one, her ministers all turned and followed.

And just like when she first appeared in the field when they had first arrived, The Queen of Hearts and her Ministers of Trails, Police, Locks, and Militia disappeared.

--

Everything around them was completely and utterly white. They were not even sure if they were really walking or if something was making them go straight foward. That is, if this was really straight.

"You would think someone who calls herself The Queen of Hearts would've made this place _pink _or something," Raven said. She smiled at the sound of Beast Boy chuckling beside her.

"Good one."

"So I guess we'll have to explain everything to the others, huh?"

"Only if you want to. Do you?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

"Dunno."

They fell into an easy companionable silence for what seemed like hours or seconds.

"There's the door. The door itself was so white only the gold etching was actually visible like a stamp on a white sheet of paper. But she found the keyhole with no problem. They turned to each other and stared.

"Ready?"

"I guess." Raven's tongue ran over her upper lip nervously.

_I wish you would kiss me._

And like a dream, like a fantasy, they felt all their wishes come true as they felt a pair of lips on theirs. Beast Boy's fingertips touched her chin delicately. That warm feeling she had felt when he had kissed her cheek came back and spread through her entire body. Tingles of pleasure reached from scalp to sole. There was still too much space; she stepped closer. He did not want to come up for air. But finally, they pulled away, the sound of their lips parting reaching their ears.

They stared at each other with smiles on their faces.

And then Raven opened the door to reality.

_A/N: Okay and that's it! I am unofficially done with QOHR! I'm sorry if that fight scene sucked but it was my first one ever! So please be kind. I guess the fight scene is homage to all the fighting action movies I love. If you have any constructive criticism/suggestions please feel free to tell me; I'll keep them in mind the next time I decide to make one up. But I gotta say, I like the way they won. I thought of it and was like, "Yeah. That works."_

_I kinda like this Katana from the first one I wrote about. She's a combo of a lot of fighters: Miho from Sincity and the Bride from Kill Bill vol. 1. As far as her look goes, I got it from the girl from Hey Monday. I liked that look for her—minus the blonde streaks in her hair and the fact that the girl is not Japanese. Lol. _

_And what can I say about Raven and Beast Boy? Oh yeah—that kiss was short, sweet, and hot! Muy caliente!! You know I Google-d scenes with them and some of them had them kissing. They were cute pics, don't get me wrong, but except for one, they were kinda awkward looking. __I do not want you to think of that when you read that scene!__ And I hope you don't. _

_Well anyway…see you in the next (and final) chapter!_

_P.S.A. Beast Boy is a superhero that turns to animals. Katana is a fan-made character that was supposed to fight him. Any hitting of him in animal form is fictional. In real life, don't hit animals. Thank you._


	11. Epilogue

_When one of Mumbo's tricks goes wrong, Beast Boy and Raven get trapped inside a mysterious playing card, the domain of The Queen of Hearts. With the strings being pulled by the queen and her ministers, can the two escape from the card? And what happens when the two become close? _

_This is before __Trouble in Tokyo__ and "The End."_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

**Terminology:**

**Arkham Asylum: **a place in the DC Comics Universe (particularly in the _Batman_ comic series); it is where all supervillians (i.e. Joker) are placed in for treatment of their insanity. Unfortunately, villains are able to escape the facility quite easily.

**Epilogue**

Robin closed the refrigerator door a bit too harshly than normal. But he was a bit too distracted and a bit too worried at the moment to notice. It has been two, going on three, days since Raven and Beast Boy had disappeared during their fight with Mumbo. And for the life of him, he had not been able to bring the search for them to an end. It should have been easy—they knew the culprit, they had the evidence, no one else could be connected to the robbery or the disappearance, and there were no other disturbances from any other villains. (With good reason; word had gotten out that the three Titans were on a rampage and so practically every B-class villain was lying low for awhile.)

He grabbed his plate and wandered over to the couch, settling into the cushions and eating his sandwich in solitude. Cyborg and Starfire had left soon after their discussion, in desperate need of a nap. But he could not sleep. And so, he thought some more.

He, Cyborg, and Starfire had decided to keep Mumbo at the Jump City Jail to detain him for questioning before transferring him to Arkham Asylum in Gotham. But despite the three-to-four hour intervals they spent the first day questioning him, Mumbo was not squawking. He remained dedicated to his story. He did not know anything about them disappearing or anything about the card including how it ended up in his possession or why it could grow to the size of a door or why it took Raven and Beast Boy.

At the end of the day, they had to concede to the dead end. Mumbo was not that smart or clever at lying; if he had no clue, he _really_ had no clue.

The only option they had had left was to examine the card itself. It had taken Starfire six hours to recover it from the police department's possession and little more than that for Cyborg to examine it. Even after putting at every expensive microscope and scanner he owned and used in his bedroom and the multiple tests he did to "stimulate a response" (i.e. shaking it really hard, waving over a cup of water, threatening, and cussing), nothing had come out of it.

Robin finished his sandwich and took a few gulps of his can of root beer. He sighed and eyed the card lying on the table. He picked it up and examined its curious back. It looked ordinary: not too old or too worn and especially not a threatening weapon. The only thing that made it different was its back where the queen looked at him with that smirk on her lips. A sneer crossed his face; he had no explanation for why, but it felt like she was mocking him. He flicked it out of his hands and watched it fall to the floor.

The moment it landed on the floor, it began to glow and stand itself up. Like that night when Raven and Beast Boy disappeared, it grew to the size of a door and the sword, cup, rabbit, and lock began its pattern of movement, its glow growing stronger and stronger. Robin reached for his communicator and pressed its button.

"Starfire, Cyborg," Robin said, "get down here. Now."

--

Raven and Beast Boy stepped out from the white abyss to find themselves standing in their living room. They stared as the card shrunk to its original size and fell to the floor with a _pop!_ And then they stared at Robin gaping at them from his spot on the couch.

He looked speechless. "You're…here."

The doors opened behind him and Cyborg and Starfire came through the doors, stomping and flying respectively.

"Aw, you guys are back!" Cyborg paused. "And not dressed in your uniforms….but you're back!!!"

Starfire beamed. "Friends, I am especially joyous now that you have appeared to our eyes safely."

Blushes crossed Beast Boy's and Raven's faces. "Thanks, Starfire."

Robin stood and walked over to them. "So, where exactly _were_ you two? And what's the deal with that card—?"

Cyborg interrupted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah—detective stuff. What _I _want to know is since when did you two start holding each other's hand?" Cyborg put on a coy smile as he watched them look down at their hands and blush furiously. "What exactly _did_ you guys do while you were gone?"

"Um, well, you know…" Beast Boy started but then an explosion distracted all of them. It seemed Robin's root beer had exploded all over the couch. Beast Boy looked over at Raven's fushia-hued face. "Yeah, we're gonna take a shower while you clean that up." They ran out of the room.

--

Raven had finished dressing back into her regular, normal superhero clothes when she heard a knock on her door. She opened to find herself looking at Beast Boy wiping his wet hair. He was still in his towel and dripping from his shower. "Hey," he grinned, "feeling better?"

"Yup. I just got nervous and my powers slipped for a second. I guess I gotta get used to that again."

"Yeah, and I guess we have to get used to Cyborg teasing us." He smiled wider. "But hey, guess who I found stuck to the bottom of my foot outside the shower. He held up the Queen of Hearts's card with Her Highness looking at them with her immobile smile. They grinned back.

"Beast Boy, Raven!" They looked up to see bubbly Starfire hovering in front of them. Robin stood behind her with crossed arms. "In honor of your safe return, I shall prepare a batch of goxtoahtoshses for you to partake of. Robin has agreed to help me." She looked beyond happy.

They looked over her shoulder and stared at Robin. He had a sheepish smile on his face. "Uh, thanks, Starfire." She giggled and flew down the hallway, Robin following close behind with his hands shoved forlornly in his pockets.

They stared at the card again but noticed the queen was gone. In her stead was a fancy, swirly scrawl of writing:

_Another pair. Shall I?_

A finger beneath the words pointed at their friends.

Beast Boy grinned and flicked the card away. They watched as it fluttered over to the floor vent and slipped through the metal grates off to the unknown. He turned back to Raven and placed a kiss on her cheek. They grinned at each other.

"Nah, let'em figure it out."

_A/N: Yay, I am now officially done with QOHR! I am very happy and grateful. I just want to thank everyone for reading my fanfic and putting me on their Favorite Story/Author lists. You rock. As far as the chapter goes, I had to put a lil RxS in there. _

_So, what happens now? Well, I post some revised chapters up and then I put this on "Complete" status. And then I move on to the next story. No, I'm not doing a BBxRae sequel—I want to move on to another series. I'm in between Bleach and Harry Potter. I wanna do a HistuxKarin and/or HGxBZ. Maybe I'll do both? Never done two stories at once but it might be cool! Anyway, thank you all for reading and look for me and my work! Thank you! _


End file.
